The English language is interesting on so many different levels. Not only is it a difficult language to master, but they also continue to add words to it that are often associated with the world where we live and what is going on behind the scenes.
Perhaps that is why it is no big surprise that a relatively new term has been dubbed the Oxford Dictionary 2022 Word of the Year. It may even be a term that you haven’t heard before.
So, without further ado, the term that was deemed most appropriate for 2022 is “goblin mode.” According to a press release, that term, which means “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations,” has really defined the world in different ways over the past year or so.
The announcement came on Monday as the new phrase won an online vote that put it at the top slot for 2022. Interestingly, this was the first time that the Oxford dictionary went online to choose the term, something that drew some negative attention along the way.
According to Oxford Languages, the president of Oxford Languages, Casper Grathwohl, said that goblin mode really resonates with all of us who are feeling overwhelmed after the year we just experienced.
The decision to go online to vote for the term is unusual, as they often select the word or phrase internally. There were actually three different options for the word of the year in 2022, including Goblin mode, metaverse, and the hashtag #IStandWith.
Goblin mode got 93% of the 340,000 votes that were cast.
Last year, the word of the year was “VAX” and in 2020, they felt that no single word could do the year justice so they didn’t select a word for that year.
According to the Washington Post, Miriam Webster’s dictionary also selects a word of the year and for 2022, their word was “gaslighting.” Similar to Oxford, they chose “vaccine” for the word of 2021.