"Rage bait," the slang term describing online content designed to elicit anger and drive internet traffic, has been crowned 2025 word of the year, Oxford University Press (OUP) announced on Monday, December 1. It said the word – chosen through a combination of public voting, sentiment and analysis of OUP's "lexical data" – had "captured our emotions" this year.
Casper Grathwohl, president of OUP's languages division, said the growing use of such words "reveal how digital platforms are reshaping our thinking and behavior." "It feels like the natural progression in an ongoing conversation about what it means to be human in a tech-driven world – and the extremes of online culture," he added in a statement. Oxford defines "rage bait" as "online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted" in order to increase web traffic or engagement.
It beat out fellow shortlisted contenders "aura farming" and "biohack." The former was described as "the cultivation of an impressive, attractive, or charismatic persona or public image by behaving or presenting oneself in a way intended subtly to convey an air of confidence, coolness, or mystique." Meanwhile, biohacking is an attempt "to improve or optimise one's physical or mental performance, health, longevity, or wellbeing by altering one's diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle, or by using other means such as drugs, supplements, or technological devices."
