Oxford Dictionary has finally revealed its Word of the Year for 2022, after putting it to a public vote for the first time ever.
Hundreds of thousands of English speakers cast their vote over the last two weeks, and the winner is a new slang term. The Oxford Word of the Year is a word or phrase that "reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months, one that has potential as a term of lasting cultural significance".
This year, the phrase chosen is: Goblin mode.
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It's a slang term, often used in the expressions "in goblin mode" or "to go goblin mode", and is 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."
Although first seen on Twitter in 2009, goblin mode went viral on social media in February 2022, quickly making its way into newspapers and magazines after being tweeted in a mocked-up headline. The term then rose in popularity over the months following as covid lockdown restrictions eased in many countries and people ventured out of their homes more regularly.
It seemed to capture the mood of many who were unenthusiastic about returning to "normal life", and would rather stay at home and not have to conform to the unattainable appearances and lifestyles shown on social media.
Previous Words of the Year have included climate emergency, selfie and vape.
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