Goblin mode has been chosed as the Oxford word of the year (Picture: Getty)

The first Oxford word of the year to be chosen by the public has been announced as ‘goblin mode’.

The winning word is a slang term describing ‘unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy’ behaviour.

It was one of three potential choices selected by Oxford lexicographers.

Thousands managed to drag themselves out of goblin mode to vote, as the phrase won by a landslide with 318,956 votes, making up 93% of the total.

It was followed by ‘metaverse’ – a hypothetical virtual reality environment in which users interact with others’ avatars – a word that exploded in usage this year.

And third place in the poll by the Oxford English Dictionary publisher was taken by the popular Twitter hashtag ‘IStandWith’. 

The top words of the year in recent history. This is the first time it has been chosen by the public (Picture: Oxford Dictionaries)

According to Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, it is a slang term often used in the expressions such as ‘I am in goblin mode’ or ‘to go goblin mode’.

It went on to explain it as ‘a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations’.

In April 2022, Elon Musk posted an image on social media attributing his acquisition of Twitter to being in ‘goblin mode’.

Elon Musk also used it when he announced he had bought Twitter (Picture: AFP)

In February actress Julia Fox denied using the expression to describe her break-up with singer Kanye West after a fake Twitter story received 116,000 likes with the invented quote: ‘He didn’t like when I went goblin mode.’

Julia Fox used the word when speaking about her breakup with Kanye West(Picture: Getty)

First seen on Twitter in 2009, ‘goblin mode’ gained popularity in 2022 as people emerged uncertainly from pandemic lockdowns.

Casper Grathwohl, president of 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.

‘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 idealised, 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.’   

The word of the year is intended to reflect ‘the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months’.

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First seen on Twitter in 2009, ‘goblin mode’ gained popularity in 2022 as people emerged uncertainly from pandemic lockdowns.