'Goblin Mode' Is Oxford Dictionary's 2022 Word of the Year
Here’s what that means.
As we begin to wrap up 2022 and look forward to the year ahead, the time has officially come for the Oxford Dictionary to unveil its word of the year for 2022, and the answer may surprise you.
Apparently, ‘Goblin mode’ is this year’s winner, with the definition being “a slang term, often used in the expressions ‘in goblin
mode’ or ‘to go goblin mode,’” also described as “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.’
The word (or technically, phrase) of choice is seemingly a sign of the times, with more and more people feeling disillusioned by the expectations of society and unafraid of going against the grain. With things like ugly selfies, photo dumps and essentially, any sort of deviation from curated feeds and ‘perfect’ selfies becoming the norm, it’s no surprise that we’re all more inclined to go a little bit goblin mode from time to time.
According to The Independent, the Oxford word of the year “is a word or expression ‘reflecting the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months, one that has potential as a term of lasting cultural significance.’”
In other news, Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is ‘Gaslighting.’
