Oxford University Press has selected “rage bait” as its Word of the Year for 2025. The term refers to online content deliberately designed to provoke anger or outrage, typically posted to increase traffic or engagement on a website or social media account.
The phrase combines “rage,” meaning a violent outburst of anger, and “bait,” an attractive morsel of food. Although technically two words, Oxford lexicographers treat it as a single unit of meaning, showing how English adapts existing words to express new ideas.
The first recorded use of “rage bait” was in 2002 on Usenet, describing a driver’s reaction to being flashed by another driver. Over time, it evolved into internet slang for content intended to elicit anger, including viral social media posts.
Usage of the term has tripled in the past 12 months, indicating its growing presence in online discourse. Experts note that the word reflects how people interact with and respond to online content.
The Word of the Year was chosen through a combination of public voting and expert review. Two other words were shortlisted: “aura farming,” defined as cultivating an attractive or charismatic persona, and “biohack,” describing efforts to optimize physical or mental performance, health, or wellbeing through lifestyle, diet, supplements, or technology.
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, said the increase in usage highlights growing awareness of the ways online content can influence attention and behavior. He also compared “rage bait” to last year’s Word of the Year, “brain rot,” which described the mental drain of endless scrolling.
The annual Word of the Year reflects terms that captured significant cultural and linguistic trends over the previous 12 months, based on usage data, public engagement, and expert analysis.
Notes: This post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, edited, and published by humans. Image: DIW-Aigen.
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