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BREAKING

Oxford Dictionary Aptly Declares ‘Goblin Mode’ the Word of the Year

Every year, dictionaries release their version of the word of the year.

Oxford Dictionary’s is often considered the definitive choice.

And this year, they did things a little differently – they allowed the public to vote. And what they received was surprising. People were thrilled to be involved, with many even campaigning for “goblin mode” to win. Casper Grathwohl, president of OUP’s Oxford Languages, said in a statement that the “level of engagement with the campaign caught us totally by surprise.”

But what even is Goblin Mode?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines this slang term as “Unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”

While it sounds like a negative thing, the context makes it anything but negative. After 2 years of being locked up due to the pandemic, people had a chance to reset and re-prioritize. Maybe you decided that putting on makeup and uncomfortable clothes that look cute but hurt your stomach just wasn’t worth it anymore. Maybe keeping up with the Joneses over house cleanliness suddenly seemed ridiculous.

Whatever spurred your goblin mode, 2022 has turned it into a rejection of the overly perfect and stressful competition between peers that exhausts everyone.

Instead of going home to make the house look perfect, you can go home and activate your goblin mode – after all, we survived the last two years, and we deserve it.

Grathwohl explains, “Given the year we’ve just experienced, ‘Goblin Mode’ resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. It’s a relief to acknowledge that we’re not always the idealized, curated selves that we’re encouraged to present on our Instagram and TikTok feeds.”

The word first appeared in the common lexicon in 2009 but rose in popularity during COVID.