Oxford's 2025 word of the year is 'rage bait'
What's the story
Oxford University Press has announced "rage bait" as the Word of the Year for 2025. The term refers to provocative content designed to provoke outrage or anger, often used as a tactic to boost online engagement. The usage of "rage bait" has reportedly increased threefold in the past year, highlighting its growing relevance in today's digital landscape.
Digital manipulation
Rage bait's rise in the digital landscape
Rage bait has emerged as a major player in the world of online content creation. It is similar to clickbait, but with a more specific aim of provoking anger. The term was chosen over two other shortlisted words: "aura farming" and "biohack." These words were also put to a public vote before OUP's language experts made their final decision.
Increased awareness
Rage bait reflects our awareness of online manipulation
Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Languages, said the rise in usage of "rage bait" shows an increased awareness of online manipulation tactics. He explained that while the internet used to focus on drawing attention through curiosity for clicks, it has now shifted toward hijacking and influencing emotions. This shift is a part of an ongoing conversation about human existence in a tech-driven world and the extremes of online culture.
Mental exhaustion
Rage bait and brain rot: A thematic connection
The 2024 Word of the Year was "brain rot," which described the mental fatigue from mindless scrolling on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Grathwohl noted that both 2024 and 2025's winners share a similar theme. He said they create a cycle where outrage generates engagement, algorithms amplify it, and constant exposure leads to mental exhaustion.
Lexical trends
Other dictionaries' words of the year
Other dictionaries have also picked their own Words of the Year for 2025. Cambridge Dictionary chose "parasocial," defining it as a relationship felt by someone between themselves and a famous person they do not know. Collins Dictionary opted for "vibe coding," which refers to creating an app or website by describing it to artificial intelligence instead of writing programming code manually.