Oxford University Press (OUP) has selected “rage bait” as its 2025 Word of the Year, highlighting how online spaces are increasingly shaped by content designed to provoke emotional reactions and drive engagement.
Announced on Monday, the winning term emerged from a mix of public voting, social sentiment and analysis of OUP’s extensive language databases. The publisher said “rage bait” had resonated strongly in 2025, capturing widespread concern about the influence of digital platforms on public discourse.
Casper Grathwohl, president of OUP’s languages division, said the rise of such terms reflects shifting behaviour in an era dominated by social media. “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 said.
OUP defines “rage bait” as online content crafted to spark anger or outrage through provocative, offensive or frustrating material, typically with the aim of boosting clicks, comments and shares. The tactic has become increasingly visible across major platforms as algorithms reward engagement regardless of tone.
The term beat two other finalists — “aura farming” and “biohack” — to take the title. “Aura farming” refers to the effort to build an appealing or charismatic public persona through subtle displays of confidence or mystique. “Biohack” describes attempts to improve physical or mental performance through lifestyle changes, supplements or technology.
More than 30,000 people worldwide cast votes over three days, contributing to the shortlist’s final ranking. OUP’s language experts also tracked the three terms across a 30-billion-word global corpus to assess their real-world usage before selecting the winner.
This year marks the fourth time the public has had a role in the selection process. The first public vote, in 2022, resulted in “goblin mode” being chosen as Word of the Year, a phrase associated with unapologetically lazy or self-indulgent behaviour. In 2023, OUP selected “rizz,” meaning charm or attractiveness, followed in 2024 by “brain rot,” referring to excessive engagement with low-value digital content.
The 2025 choice reflects ongoing debates around online toxicity, algorithm-driven engagement and the emotional dynamics of digital culture. As outrage-fuelled posts continue to dominate feeds, “rage bait” now stands as the defining expression of a year shaped by the power — and pitfalls — of the internet’s attention economy.
