On December 1, 2025, Oxford University Press made its annual splash in the world of language by declaring "rage bait" as the Oxford Word of the Year. It’s a phrase that, even if you haven’t heard it before, probably rings a bell—especially if you’ve ever felt your blood pressure rise while scrolling through social media. The announcement, covered by outlets like BBC News, The New York Times, and Axios, reflects not just a linguistic trend, but a cultural shift in how we interact online—and, perhaps more tellingly, how we’re manipulated.
"Rage bait" is defined by Oxford as "online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content." Over the past year, the term’s usage has tripled, a surge that Oxford’s language experts say signals a deeper change in the way we talk about attention, engagement, and digital ethics (BBC News).
The term’s journey is a story in itself. First cropping up online in 2002 on Usenet—a kind of proto-forum that predates today’s social media—it originally described a driver’s irritated reaction after being flashed by someone trying to overtake them (The New York Times). That early use planted the seed for the idea of intentional provocation. As the digital world evolved, so did "rage bait," morphing into online slang for viral tweets and posts meant to provoke and drive engagement. According to The Times of India, it has since become a staple in journalism and the vocabulary of creators everywhere, often used to critique the very platforms and trends that shape what gets published and promoted online.
But why did "rage bait" beat out other contenders? The Oxford shortlist for 2025 also included "aura farming" and "biohack." "Aura farming," as defined by Oxford, means "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." "Biohack" refers to attempts to improve or optimize one’s physical or mental performance, health, or wellbeing by altering lifestyle, diet, or using supplements or technology (Axios). Despite their relevance, neither term captured the public’s imagination—or the zeitgeist—quite like "rage bait." The final decision, as BBC News reports, was guided by a mix of public voting (over 30,000 people participated) and the expert analysis of Oxford’s language team.
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, offered insight into why "rage bait" stood out. "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," Grathwohl told Oxford University Press. "Before, the internet was focused on grabbing our attention by sparking curiosity in exchange for clicks, but now we’ve seen a dramatic shift to it hijacking and influencing our emotions, and how we respond. 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."
There’s a certain irony, perhaps, in the fact that a term describing deliberate provocation and outrage has itself become a point of fascination and discussion. The rise of "rage bait" is closely tied to the mechanics of social media algorithms, which increasingly reward content that provokes strong reactions. Outrage, it turns out, is a powerful driver of engagement. This has led to the emergence of "rage-farming," a more systematic approach to cultivating anger and boosting clicks by repeatedly planting rage-bait content—often wrapped in misinformation or conspiracy-fueled narratives (The Times of India).
"Where last year’s choice, brain rot, captured the mental drain of endless scrolling, rage bait shines a light on the content purposefully engineered to spark outrage and drive clicks," Grathwohl added. "And together, they form a powerful cycle where outrage sparks engagement, algorithms amplify it, and constant exposure leaves us mentally exhausted. These words don’t just define trends; they reveal how digital platforms are reshaping our thinking and behaviour." (Oxford University Press)
The selection process for Oxford’s Word of the Year is rooted in data. As The New York Times explains, the choice is based on usage evidence from a corpus of about 30 billion words, compiled from news sources across the English-speaking world. The goal is to identify new or emerging words with genuine social and cultural significance. Since its inception in 2004, the Word of the Year campaign has become a barometer for the anxieties, hopes, and obsessions of English speakers worldwide.
So, what does it mean that "rage bait" is now part of the mainstream lexicon? For one, it reflects a growing public awareness of the ways online platforms shape our emotions and behaviors. Even those unfamiliar with the term have likely experienced its effects. As Grathwohl put it in his interview with The New York Times, "Even if people have never heard it before, they instantly know what it means. And they want to talk about it."
"Rage bait" also underscores the challenges of digital wellbeing in 2025. The news cycle this year has been dominated by social unrest and debates about the regulation of online content. Concerns over mental health, misinformation, and the ethics of engagement have never been more pronounced. The word’s meteoric rise is a sign that, for better or worse, we’re grappling with the consequences of a digital world designed to provoke—and profit from—our strongest emotions.
Interestingly, other dictionaries have picked different words to capture the spirit of 2025. The Cambridge Dictionary chose "parasocial," describing the one-sided relationships fans feel with celebrities—a phenomenon made ever more intense by social media. Collins Dictionary, meanwhile, went with "vibe coding," the art of designing an app or website by simply describing it to artificial intelligence, rather than writing code manually (BBC News).
But it’s "rage bait" that has struck a particular nerve. Its rise from obscure internet slang to a globally recognized term speaks volumes about the moment we’re living in. In a world where attention is currency and outrage is a commodity, perhaps it’s no wonder we needed a word for the tactic that keeps us coming back for more—angry, exhausted, but unable to look away.
As the year draws to a close, the selection of "rage bait" as Word of the Year invites us all to pause and consider the forces shaping our conversations and our lives online. The conversation isn’t over—but at least now, we have the words to talk about it.
