The Oxford University Press has officially designated “rage bait” as its word of the year for 2025, marking another chapter in the dictionary’s ongoing documentation of how internet culture shapes our language.
The term, which refers to content deliberately designed to provoke angry reactions and maximize engagement online, has seen its usage triple over the past year despite first appearing in 2002. This dramatic surge reflects a growing public awareness of the manipulation tactics embedded in social media platforms and digital content.
According to the Oxford University Press, the selection wasn’t arbitrary. The organization’s experts observed that 2025’s news cycle was characterized by social unrest, heated debates surrounding online content regulation, and mounting concerns about digital wellbeing. These factors converged to push “rage bait” into mainstream vocabulary.
“The use of rage bait this year has evolved to signal a deeper shift in how we talk about attention—both how it is given and how it is sought after—engagement, and ethics online,” the Oxford University Press stated in their announcement.
The recognition also serves as a cultural milestone, highlighting society’s increasing literacy about digital manipulation. “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,” the press noted.
“Rage bait” narrowly defeated “aura farming” for the prestigious title, continuing Oxford’s recent trend of selecting compound phrases rather than single words. Last year’s winner was “brain rot,” another internet-born expression that captured the zeitgeist of digital-age anxieties.
The Oxford University Press clarified their selection criteria, noting that their word of the year can encompass either a singular word or an expression that their lexicographers consider “a single unit of meaning.”
This year’s word of the year selections across various dictionaries paint a fascinating picture of our digital moment. Cambridge Dictionary chose “parasocial” as its 2025 winner, while Dictionary.com selected “67.” Each selection reflects different facets of how online culture increasingly dominates everyday communication and consciousness.