The Oxford Dictionary has named "goblin mode" its word of the year. The term is defined as "a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."
The phrase was chosen via an online vote, beating out short-listers, "#IStandWith" and "metaverse." It won in a landslide, garnering 93 percent of the votes, BBC writes. "Having a group of people in Oxford choose it always felt weirdly undemocratic," said Katherine Connor Martin, product director at Oxford Languages. The overwhelming victory of "goblin mode" came following a piece from the website PC Gamer which encouraged voters to reject "society's stifling norms," adding, "the metaverse that CEOs want to sell you is awful."
The slang term emerged in 2009 but went viral this year, following the slowdown of the pandemic where people didn't want to go back to how things were before. "Given the year we've just experienced, 'goblin mode' resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point," commented Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In order to select the words, Oxford lexicographers shortlist words based on usage, focusing on the "mood" of the world as well as its potential for longevity and cultural significance, The New York Times reports. Last year's winner was "vax" following the movement to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Martin explained, "New words catch on when they capture our imagination or fill a hole with a word for a concept we need to express."
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Sing songs with Sandler, gawk at Gaffigan: These are the comedians to catch on tour this fallthe week recommends Laugh to keep yourself from crying
-
Television personalities who have come under fireIn Depth Jimmy Kimmel is the latest TV host to be swept up in controversy
-
8 riveting museum exhibitions on view in the fall — and well into 2026The Week Recommends See Winslow Homer rarities and Black art reimagined
-
10 concert tours to see this fallThe Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
5 of the best platonic TV friendshipsthe week recommends Maintaining boundaries has proven tricky for all but the most committed of buddies on the small screen
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
