The Oxford English Dictionary has chosen the term "goblin mode" as the word of the year 200 after a public vote for the first time in its history. "Goblin mode" is a slang term used to describe a type of behaviour, which is “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”
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Searches for the term spiked earlier this year, the dictionary said. Marking a first, Oxford Languages opened up its annual word of the year listing to a public vote after a team of expert lexicographers narrowed down a long list of worthy contestants to a final choice of three words. The words were: Metaverse, #IStandWith, and goblin mode.
The Word of the Year choice was conducted online over the last two weeks, with more than 300,000 English speakers casting their votes. In the vote, 93 percent of the more than 340,000 votes chose "goblin mode," while "Metaverse" was the runner-up, with 4 percent. The hashtag "IStandWith" secured third place.
"New words catch on when they capture our imagination or fill a hole with a word for a concept we need to express. What 'goblin mode' tells me is it resonated with the feeling that the pandemic is over, but we're still grappling with it. Do we want to go back to the notions of respectability of the pre-pandemic world?" Katherine Connor Martin, product director at Oxford Languages, told New York Times.
{{/usCountry}}"New words catch on when they capture our imagination or fill a hole with a word for a concept we need to express. What 'goblin mode' tells me is it resonated with the feeling that the pandemic is over, but we're still grappling with it. Do we want to go back to the notions of respectability of the pre-pandemic world?" Katherine Connor Martin, product director at Oxford Languages, told New York Times.
{{/usCountry}}Read more: What is gaslighting? Merriam-Webster's word of the year
Meanwhile, American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster named "gaslighting" as its word of the year for 2022. The word. according to Merriam-Webster, means "psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, the uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator."