For the first time ever, Oxford Languages has opened up the word of the year for a public vote. Now through Dec. 2, anyone can go online to vote for one of the three top choices. Selected by lexicographers from the Oxford University Press, the choices are “goblin mode,” which means behaving “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”; “#IStandWith,” a hashtag that expresses solidarity; and “metaverse,” used to describe an all-encompassing virtual reality environment.
“We are all participants in the evolving story of English, and after making it through another hard year, we thought word-lovers would appreciate being brought into the process with us,” said Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl.