goblin
n. countablen. a small, ugly creature from old stories that is often mean or likes to play tricks. In modern slang, it describes someone who stays inside, acts messy, or ignores social rules for fun.
n. a mischievous, grotesque creature from European folklore, typically depicted as small and malevolent. In contemporary informal usage, it refers to a person who rejects societal expectations of grooming or productivity, often in a playful or self-deprecating way.
The old story tells of a goblin living under the bridge.
After a week of exams, she went full goblin mode, staying in her pajamas and eating cereal for every meal.
While traditional literature portrays the goblin as a purely antagonistic figure, modern internet subcultures have reclaimed the term to celebrate a chaotic, unpolished lifestyle that rejects performative perfection.
From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Greek κόβαλος (kóbalos, “rogue, knave; goblin”). Displaced native Old English pūca from Proto-Germanic pūkô (“a goblin, spook”).
Commonly used in the compound phrase 'goblin mode' to describe a specific state of behavior.