Don't Get Too Angry, but 'Rage Bait' Was Just Declared Oxford Word of the Year 2025

‘Rage bait’ is the Oxford English Dictionary publisher’s Word of the Year for 2025.

Oxford University Press investigation showed usage of the operation has tripled successful the past 12 months. After 'brain rot' took location the 2024 crown, Oxford University Press' 2025 shortlist included 3 contenders — ‘rage bait,’ ‘aura farming,’ and ‘biohack.’

According to Oxford University Press, rage bait is defined arsenic “online contented deliberately designed to elicit choler oregon outrage by being frustrating, provocative, oregon offensive, typically posted successful bid to summation postulation to oregon engagement with a peculiar web leafage oregon societal media content.”

Oxford Word of the Year 2025 is 'rage bait.' Photo by Dilara Irem Sancar/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Explaining its decision, Oxford University Press said: “with 2025’s quality rhythm dominated by societal unrest, debates astir the regularisation of online content, and concerns implicit integer wellbeing, our experts noticed that the usage of rage bait this twelvemonth has evolved to awesome a deeper displacement successful however we speech astir attraction — some however it is fixed and however it is sought aft — engagement, and morals online. The connection has tripled successful usage successful the past 12 months.”

In the satellite of entertainment, DC Universe steward James Gunn added ragebaiting monkeys to this year's Superman film. In the movie, Lex Luthor's service of monkeys station antagonistic and inflammatory contented astir Superman online successful a crippled constituent wide interpreted arsenic a commentary connected online instrumentality culture. In a Superman gag reel, Gunn himself was seen playing the relation of the net monkeys.

Get the #Superman gag reel, director's commentary, and other features present connected digital! pic.twitter.com/UrZdpt6mcU

Rage bait was archetypal utilized online successful a posting connected Usenet successful 2002 arsenic a mode to designate a peculiar benignant of operator absorption to being flashed astatine by different operator requesting to walk them, introducing the thought of deliberate agitation, Oxford University Press said. The connection past evolved into net slang utilized to picture viral tweets, often to critique full networks of contented that find what is posted online, similar platforms, creators, and trends.

Oxford University Press continued: “Since then, it has go shorthand for contented designed to elicit choler by being frustrating, offensive, oregon deliberately divisive successful nature, and a mainstream word referenced successful newsrooms crossed the satellite and sermon amongst contented creators. It’s besides a proven maneuver to thrust engagement, commonly seen successful performative politics. As societal media algorithms began to reward much provocative content, this has developed into practices specified arsenic rage-farming, which is simply a much consistently applied effort to manipulate reactions and to physique choler and engagement implicit clip by seeding contented with rage bait, peculiarly successful the signifier of deliberate misinformation of conspiracy theory-based material.”

Perhaps the biggest question successful each this is, well, rage bait is 2 words, right? The Oxford Word of the Year tin beryllium a singular connection oregon expression, “which our lexicographers deliberation of arsenic a azygous portion of meaning,” Oxford University Press explained.

Rage bait, then, is simply a compound of the words rage, meaning ‘a convulsive outburst of anger,’ and bait, ‘an charismatic morsel of food.’ Clickbait, which is etymologically related to rage bait, remains 1 word, however.

Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, commented: “As exertion and artificial quality go ever much embedded into our regular lives — from deepfake celebrities and AI-generated influencers to virtual companions and dating platforms — there’s nary denying that 2025 has been a twelvemonth defined by questions astir who we genuinely are; some online and offline.

“The information that the connection rage bait exists and has seen specified a melodramatic surge successful usage means we’re progressively alert of the manipulation tactics we tin beryllium drawn into online. Before, the net was focused connected grabbing our attraction by sparking curiosity successful speech for clicks, but present we’ve seen a melodramatic displacement to it hijacking and influencing our emotions, and however we respond. It feels similar the earthy progression successful an ongoing speech astir what it means to beryllium quality successful a tech-driven satellite — and the extremes of online culture.

“Where past year’s choice, encephalon rot, captured the intelligence drain of endless scrolling, rage bait shines a airy connected the contented purposefully engineered to spark outrage and thrust clicks. And together, they signifier a almighty rhythm wherever outrage sparks engagement, algorithms amplify it, and changeless vulnerability leaves america mentally exhausted. These words don’t conscionable specify trends; they uncover however integer platforms are reshaping our reasoning and behaviour.”

Previous Oxford Word of the Year winners see past year's 'brain rot,' 'rizz' (2023), 'goblin mode' (2022), and 'vax' (2021). Oxford University Press skipped 2020, which was dominated by COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].