Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu

Photo Credit: Marriam-Webstar

As December rolls around each year, the “list” season begins. Throughout the month, publications, influencers, and social media users alike discuss their favorite things of the year. Whether it is movies, TV shows, albums, books, memes, etc, you can find a list of someone’s favorites from the year. 

It is no surprise then that dictionaries have hopped onto this trend. Starting in 2003 and 2004 respectively, dictionary companies Merriam-Webster and Oxford started to name their “Word of the Year.” Each year, these companies usually find a word that describes any new trends or sociopolitical events worth mentioning. Usually these act as a cumulation of what occurred in the year. Most of the time, these chosen terms make sense, but in 2022, both companies have some explaining to do. 

On November 28, Merriam-Webster started with their “Word of the Year.” Out of terms like “sentient,” “omicron,” and “queen consort,” the company chose “gaslighting.” For anyone unaware, gaslighting is the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s advantage and intentionally.

In their article explaining their word choice, Merriam-Webster noted that we are in an “age of misinformation,” making the term emerge in prevalence. According to their statistics, gaslighting had a 1740 percent increase in searches on their website. The company also noted that this increased amount of searches was a year-long effort, meaning that gaslighting was a topic of discussion for many throughout the whole course of 2022.

In essence, Merriam-Webster’s choice does define an element of living in 2022. Whether you feel like we are in an age of misinformation or not, gaslighting is a more prevalent term than it used to be due to its usage in film and social circles as well. 

The announcement of Merriam-Webster’s “Word of the Year” came and went, unlike Oxford’s choice. 

On December 5, Oxford went to the masses and said that “goblin mode” was their 2022 “Word of the Year.” As you may expect, this choice was immediately responded to with collective sounds of confusion and laughter. Many on social media asked what led the dictionary company to choose such an obtuse and silly phrase. 

For the uninformed, goblin mode is a type of behavior that is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations. According to Oxford’s statistics, goblin mode was searched the most in mid-March, likely due to the usage of the term in certain memes. 

While these memes were quite noticeable, their presence quickly ceased. The lack of real push behind goblin mode makes Oxford’s choice even more baffling, as it did not seem to remain prevalent throughout the year.

It is important to note that 2022 was Oxford’s first year to let the public vote on its “Word of the Year.” While some may suggest that this would be the cause of the obtuse choice, their other options being metaverse or #IStandWith makes it seem like goblin mode may have been the only worthwhile choice.

Nonetheless, Oxford and Merriam-Webster’s “Word[s] of the Year” have been chosen. When people look back at 2022, will they remember being gaslit while going goblin mode? The world shall see.