The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has announced “rage bait” as its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting the rising trend of online content designed to provoke anger and outrage.
“Rage bait” refers to posts, articles, or media deliberately crafted to trigger strong emotional reactions, especially anger, often to boost engagement on social media platforms. The emergence of the term reflects growing concerns about how digital content can influence public discourse, mental health, and societal polarisation.
The term “rage bait” outpaced two other shortlisted words—aura farming and biohack—to claim the title.
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, commented, “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.”
He added, “Where last year’s choice, brain rot, captured the mental drain of endless scrolling, rage bait shines a light on content purposefully engineered to spark outrage and drive clicks. These words don’t just define trends; they reveal how digital platforms are reshaping our thinking and behaviour.”
What do the other shortlisted words mean?
Aura farming: The cultivation of an impressive, attractive, or charismatic persona by presenting oneself in a way that subtly conveys confidence, coolness, or mystique.
Biohack: The attempt to improve or optimise physical or mental performance, health, longevity, or well-being through diet, exercise, lifestyle changes, or other methods such as supplements or technology.
The three shortlisted words were subject to a public vote, which helped guide the final decision made by Oxford University Press’s language experts.
In related news, the Cambridge Dictionary has declared “parasocial” as its Word of the Year 2025, defining it as the relationship one feels with a famous person they do not personally know. Meanwhile, Collins Dictionary chose “vibe coding,” describing the process of creating apps or websites by instructing artificial intelligence rather than writing code manually.
