'Goblin mode' is Oxford Dictionary's word of the year

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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."

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Devika Rao, The Week US

 Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.