'Goblin Mode' Beats 'Metaverse' To Become Oxford's 2022 Word Of The Year: Know Its Origin And Meaning

Oxford on Monday announced "goblin mode" as its first word of the year that has been chosen by public vote.

What Happened: The word "goblin mode" is a "slang term" that stands for "a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."

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Screened by editors at Oxford University Press, more than three million English speakers voted over two weeks for a choice among three words. The "goblin mode" won by 318,956 votes, and "Metaverse" stood second with 14,484 votes, followed by "#IStandWith" with 8,639 votes.

Origin and usage of the word: Although “goblin mode” made its first appearance on Twitter in 2009, it went viral on social media in February. The word was featured in a fake news headline that claimed model-actor Julia Fox and her ex-partner, rapper Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — broke up because he "didn't like when [Fox] went goblin mode."

The word is also repeatedly used as a hashtag on popular social media platforms Instagram and TikTok as a contrast to the idealized manifestations of being one's best version, Oxford said. 

"…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," Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, said.

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