People completely baffled by Oxford's word of 2022

This year was the first time the public was allowed to vote for the Oxford Word of the Year – and boy did they pick an interesting one.

Normally, Oxford University Press - publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary - decides on its annual word or expression 'based on the ethos, mood or preoccupations of the past twelve months'.

The organisation explains that its editors will track potential candidates as they emerge throughout the year while looking at how often they're used and compare this with other language data.

Ultimately, it's term that they say will have most likely have a 'lasting cultural significance'.

Now you know how the decision is normally made, let's take a look at the candidate that best sums up 2022.

Goblin mode... yes, you read that right.

To be fair, the term actually suits what has been a dumpster fire of a year. But even so, people found the choice rather baffling.

"Oxford dictionary really went goblin mode innit," quipped one Twitter user, while another said, "If 'gaslighting' and 'goblin mode' being 2022’s words of the year isn’t a sign of the times then idk what is."

Goblin mode has been defined as 'a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations'.

Although it dates back to 2009, the phrase went viral in February 2022 as Covid lockdowns eased worldwide.

"Seemingly, it captured the prevailing mood of individuals who rejected the idea of returning to ‘normal life’, or rebelled against the increasingly unattainable aesthetic standards and unsustainable lifestyles exhibited on social media," explained Oxford University Press.

The publishing house gave three different words or phrases to choose from as 2022's word of the year - Metaverse, #IStandWith and, of course, goblin mode.

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A whopping 340,000 English speakers across the globe voted, and it turned out to be a resounding success for the winner, which earned 93% of the overall vote - that's 318,956 votes.

Second place was Metaverse, the virtual reality space that allows users to interact with each other in a computer-generated environment, earning 14,484 votes.

And in third place was the hashtag #IStandWith, which became popular online this year among activists.

For example, thousands of people took to social media this year to share that they were #standingwith Ukraine in their ongoing conflict with Russia.

Speaking previously to announce the decision to open up a public vote, Ben Zimmer, American linguist and lexicographer, said: "Goblin Mode really does speak to the times and the zeitgeist, and it is certainly a 2022 expression.

"People are looking at social norms in new ways. It gives people the license to ditch social norms and embrace new ones."

Adding to this, Casper Grathwohl, President, Oxford Languages, said: "We were hoping the public would enjoy being brought into the process, but this level of engagement with the campaign caught us totally by surprise.

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"The strength of the response highlights how important our vocabulary is to understanding who we are and processing what’s happening to the world around us.

"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.

"This has been demonstrated by the dramatic rise of platforms like BeReal where users share images of their unedited selves, often capturing self-indulgent moments in goblin mode.

"People are embracing their inner goblin, and voters choosing ‘goblin mode’ as the Word of the Year tells us the concept is likely here to stay."

Well, guess all we can do is embrace our inner goblins and go full goblin mode as we head into the new year.