'Goblin Mode' named Oxford word of the year

The first Oxford word of the year in 2022 has been revealed. "Goblin Mode", the winning word, is a slang term that implies  "unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy" behaviour.  

According to the Oxford University Press, it is a slang that first appeared in 2009 and is often used in sentences such as  "I am in goblin mode" or "to go goblin mode", reports BBC. 

They also explained it as "a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations".

Although it made its debut over a decade ago, the word became viral this year over a fictitious headline scandal involving actress and model Julia Fox as well as a popular Reddit post describing someone who has been acting like a goblin.

Over time, the word's popularity grew as Covid restrictions started fading away and people were reluctant to go back to the way life had been before the pandemic.

This year also marks the first time the public has chosen the word of the year. 

According to BBC, the campaign for its selection began with The PC Gamer magazine asking readers to "put aside our petty differences and vote for 'goblin mode' over 'metaverse' as the Oxford Word of the Year", because "goblin mode rules".

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said that people have been embracing their inner goblin.

In a statement, he claimed that "We were hoping the public would enjoy being brought into the process, but this level of engagement with the campaign caught us totally by surprise. The strength of the response highlights how important our vocabulary is to understanding who we are and processing what's happening to the world around us."

"Given the year we've just experienced, 'goblin mode' resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. It's a relief to acknowledge that we're not always the idealized, curated selves that we're encouraged to present on our Instagram and TikTok feeds," he added. 

However, it is only one of the three potential choices selected by Oxford lexicographers.

The runner-up was metaverse with 14,484 votes, followed by #IStandWith with 8,639 votes.