Oxford University Press has selected “rage bait’’ as its 2025 Word of the Year, highlighting how easily outrage can be engineered online in an era dominated by viral controversies and emotional manipulation.
The publisher noted that the term had surged in use over the past year and best captured the “internet zeitgeist of 2025.”
Oxford defines “rage bait” as online material “deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive,” typically to boost traffic or engagement on social platforms.
CONFIRMED: Oxford University Press has named ‘rage bait’ as the Oxford Word of the Year 2025.#OxfordWOTY pic.twitter.com/JATZPd9oxh
— University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) December 1, 2025
The winning term topped two other finalists, “aura farming” and “biohack,” after more than 30,000 people voted between Nov. 24 and Nov. 27. “Aura farming” refers to crafting a public persona meant to project confidence or mystique, while “biohack’’ describes efforts to enhance physical or mental performance.
However, not everyone was impressed by the choice.
TV personality Piers Morgan weighed in on X, writing: “I’m absolutely disgusted that ‘rage bait’ has been chosen as word of the year. Not least because it’s two bloody words.”
Senate Republicans also responded on social media. The NRSC account posted: “Rage bait. noun | RAYJ-bayt,” accompanied by a montage video they described as examples of “Democrat rage bait.”
Oxford’s Word of the Year has been selected annually since 2004, with past winners including “podcast,” “emoji,” “goblin mode,” and last year’s choice, “brain rot,” a nod to the mental drain of endless social-media scrolling.
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Other dictionaries have highlighted different trends for 2025: Cambridge chose “parasocial,” which refers to one-sided emotional bonds with public figures or AI, while Dictionary.com picked the number “67.”
Oxford’s experts say the rise of “rage bait” reflects a year filled with debates and a growing awareness of how easily emotions can be manipulated for clicks.
