Oxford Word Of The Year Has 3 Contestants: Here’s Who They Are and What They Say

For the first time, the Oxford English Dictionary is giving people the chance to vote for the word of the year. according to a BBC report, a team of lexicographers from Oxford University Press narrowed the list down to just three words – metaverse, #IStandWith and the phrase goblin mode. Oxford staff believe all three options “fit the year differently”. Language lovers have until December 2nd to decide.

Oxford’s rival Collins has already announced ‘perrmacrisis’ – “an extended period of instability and insecurity” – as its word of the year, and the Cambridge Dictionary has chosen ‘homer’. For 2021, Oxford had chosen ‘vax’ – “vaccination” or “vaccination” – as its name of the year.

Here are descriptions of the three options available to the public to vote on:

• The Metaverse: A virtual world where people can live, eat, work and make friends with their avatars. Facebook is among the platforms investing billions to give a big boost to the metaverse. Oxford said the use of the word quadrupled in October 2022 due to homework and virtual reality, compared to the same month last year.
• #ImaNa: The hashtag “sees activism and divisiveness come to the fore this year”, the Oxford team said. People around the world have used it to express solidarity for a cause or movement, adding that on TikTok, the hashtag has 2.8 million views.
• Goblin Mode: This is a quote from 2009-10, says Oxford University Press. There was an uptick in excitement when actress and model Julia Fox was linked to a fake article that talked about her breakup with rapper Kanye West.

“Last year the world opened up again, and in that spirit we are opening the process of choosing the Word of the Year to language lovers everywhere,” Oxford Languages ​​President Casper Grathwohl. he told i BBC when asked why the dictionary chose to open the vote to the public.

Other Competitors:

• Platty Jubes: The popular name is Queen’s Platinum Jubilee social media
• Quiet Quitting: This phrase was also considered. It means doing the basic needs of a person’s job without putting in the time, effort, or energy necessary.