Oxford University Press has announced “rage bait” as its 2025 Word of the Year. The publisher says the phrase reflects how online spaces have changed, especially in a year filled with strong emotions and heated discussions.
What is ‘rage bait’?
“Rage bait” is described as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content.”
Experts say its usage has tripled over the past year, showing that more people now recognise the harms that can come from attention-seeking online behaviour.
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, explained to the New York Post, “The fact that the word ‘rage bait’ exists and has seen such a dramatic surge in usage means we’re increasingly aware of the manipulation tactics we can be drawn into online.”
“Before, the internet was focused on grabbing our attention by sparking curiosity in exchange for clicks, but now we’ve seen a dramatic shift to it hijacking and influencing our emotions, and how we respond,” Grathwohl explained to the New York Post.
“Rage bait” did not begin on social media. Its earliest known use was in a 2002 Usenet post, describing drivers who deliberately annoy others on the road. Over time, the meaning changed and moved online, where it is used today to criticise content designed to make people angry.
“Rage bait” beat two other trendy digital words: “Aura farming” is building a cool or mysterious image online and “Biohack” is trying to improve health or performance through lifestyle changes, drugs, supplements or tech
2024 word of the year
In 2024, Oxford chose “brain rot”, a term about the exhausting effects of endless scrolling.
Grathwohl connected the two words, “Where last year’s choice, brain rot, captured the mental drain of endless scrolling, rage bait shines a light on the content purposefully engineered to spark outrage and drive clicks. And together, they form a powerful cycle where outrage sparks engagement, algorithms amplify it, and constant exposure leaves us mentally exhausted.”
Other major dictionary publishers picked very different expressions this year. Dictionary.com picked “6 7,” a playful, shrug-like slang expression. Cambridge Dictionary selected “parasocial,” describing one-sided relationships with celebrities or influencers.