TIL the word 'goblin mode' was the Oxford word of the year for 2022

I was just reading an article from the BBC about how they pick their word of the year, and they said 'goblin mode' won by a huge vote from the public. I mean, I've seen people use it online to talk about being lazy and messy, but I had no idea it was that official. The article said it got over 300,000 votes, which is way more than the other choices. It's kind of funny that a slang term for just letting yourself go beat out all the serious words. I found it on their website while I was looking up something else. It makes you wonder what kind of word will win this year, maybe something about AI? Has anyone else noticed a new slang term that seems like it could be the next big one?

3 comments

3 Comments

adam_adams2mo ago

Saw that article too, it was wild how many people voted. Kinda proves the point that it's a real thing people feel, even if it's silly. Like @jade_davis said, it's just a poll, but it does show what's on people's minds. Honestly, after the last few years, a word for just giving up and being a couch goblin makes total sense. Can't even guess what this year's would be, everything moves so fast online now.

jade_davis2mo ago

Honestly who even cares about the Oxford word of the year. It's just a silly online poll, not some big official language thing.

alicecooper2mo ago

Who decides what words matter anyway? Adam_adams has a point that it shows what people are thinking about, even if it's dumb. It's just a bunch of editors picking whatever was trendy online. Feels like they're trying too hard to be relevant.