The Oxford English Dictionary has chosen the slang term “goblin mode” as the word of the year, using a public vote for the first time in its history. “Goblin mode” is a slang term that is 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,” according to the dictionary.
For the first time ever, Oxford Languages allowed the general public to vote on its yearly word of the year selection. A group of eminent lexicographers selected the final three words from a vast list of deserving contenders: Metaverse, #IStandWith, and goblin mode. More than 300,000 English speakers participated in the two-week online voting period for the Word of the Year.
This phrase gained popularity earlier this year as a way of saying that we should reject the expectations that society places on us and instead pursue what we want to accomplish. This term spiked earlier this year as the idea of rejecting societal expectations put upon us, in favour of doing whatever one wants to do.
It’s the first time Oxford Languages opened up its annual word of the year listing to a public vote. A team of expert lexicographers narrowed down a long list of worthy contestants to a final choice of three words — 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.
The word “Goblin mode” received 93 percent of the more than 340,000 votes cast, with “Metaverse” coming in second with 4%. The Metaverse is a “virtual reality environment in which users can interact with one another’s avatar in an immersive way,” according to Oxford University Press. In the meanwhile, the hashtag “#IStandWith” acknowledges the activity and discord that have defined this year.
“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, toldNew York Times in a telephone interview, reported NDTV.
In the meantime, Merriam-Webster, an American dictionary publisher, selected “gaslighting” as its word of the year for 2022. According to Merriam-Webster, there was a 1740% rise in “gaslighting” website searches in 2022, and there was “strong interest throughout the year.”
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