“‘Goblin mode’ resonates with all of us, who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point,” said Caspar Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages.
The word of the year is intended to reflect “the ethos, mood or preoccupations of the past twelve months”. For the first time this year’s winning phrase was chosen by public vote from three finalists chosen by Oxford Languages lexicographers: Goblin Mode, Metaverse and the hashtag iStandWith.
Despite being relatively unknown offline, Goblin Mode was the overwhelming favorite, winning 93% of the more than 340,000 votes cast.