What Is Goblin Mode? This New Term May Characterize How You've Been Feeling

Are you a human who sometimes identifies as a goblin? Do you make weird chaotic groans from the comfort of your home? You may be in goblin mode.

Recently on Twitter, there's been an uptick in these cases as users share chaotic moments from their lives that typically reject social norms.

But what exactly is this weird state of existence? Keep scrolling to find out what goblin mode is and how this meme came to be.

Goblin mode was first defined on Urban Dictionary on June 17 2020. "When you lose yourself so you resort to becoming a goblin," the definition read. Extremely vague? Yes. Especially since goblins, which Britannica defines as "wandering sprites that are usually mischievous but often malicious," are creatures of Western folklore and have not been scientifically proven to be real.

As Britannica further explains, these mythical characters supposedly live in caves but attach themselves to households, where they may bang pots and pans, steal nightclothes off the bodies of sleeping people, move furniture at night, and other unpleasant actions. To sum it all up, goblins can be thought of as chaotic little monsters who love to rummage through the home — and now humans are starting to relate.

In October 2021, a viral tweet that referenced goblin mode provided more insight on the term.

In fact, a second entry for goblin mode, inspired by the tweet above, was added to Urban Dictionary a few weeks later. It defined goblin mode as "a variation of the cowgirl sexual position in which the person on top has their hands and feet planted onto the other person. Also often involves grunting and occasionally manic laughing."

However, goblin mode doesn't just exist in the bedroom.

On Reddit, one user wrote that they liked to creep around their "house and act like a goblin." The user explained that he would make weird noises, crouch around the home, hide, and collect "trinkets" in a sack.

The post, which was shared on Twitter, inspired a larger conversation on what goblin mode really was.

The term continued to gain some traction as people began adopting their own definitions of it.

Twitter user and self-proclaimed goblin Dave McNamee told The Guardian that "Goblin mode is like when you wake up at 2 a.m. and shuffle into the kitchen wearing nothing but a long T-shirt to make a weird snack, like melted cheese on saltines. It’s about a complete lack of aesthetic. Because why would a goblin care what they look like? Why would a goblin care about presentation?"

Meanwhile, TikTok creators began inventing their own working definitions of #GoblinMode. Some consider it “hoarding weird sh-t just in case you run out” or eating without utensils.

Bottom line: While there will never be a clear-cut definition of what goblin mode actually is, it seems to be a state of human existence when an individual starts acting like a goblin. This may include making weird noises, reclusive or animalistic behaviors, and/or having a disheveled appearance.

Furthermore, it shouldn't be a state that one should aspire to be in. However, based on the internet's banter about it, many of us feel like we've all entered goblin mode at one point or another.