Oxford University Press has named “rage bait” its 2025 Word of the Year after more than 30,000 people voted over three days. The phrase beat shortlist rivals “aura farming” and “biohack.”
Oxford defines rage bait as online material deliberately designed to provoke anger or outrage — content that is frustrating, provocative or offensive, posted primarily to drive clicks, shares and engagement. The label applies whether the anger is intentionally provoked or simply triggered by inflammatory material.
Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, says the term entered English around 2002 and marks a shift in how online attention is won: early internet content often relied on curiosity, while more recent tactics aim to hijack emotions and direct responses. Oxford describes rage bait as “the internet’s most effective hook,” exploiting our tendency toward strong negative reactions.
The word surged in prominence after actress Jennifer Lawrence revealed she keeps a secret TikTok account she uses to “get in fights” with strangers online — an example Oxford points to when discussing how easily people can be drawn into angry exchanges. The press also links rising usage to broader social unrest and growing public concern about digital wellbeing.
For 2025 OUP framed the choice within a theme of human experience reshaped by technology: deepfake celebrities, AI-generated influencers and virtual companions all show how tech is seeping into emotions and identity. Oxford’s experts even ask whether you can be “rage baited” by tools like ChatGPT, or whether chatbots themselves might function as rage bait.
OUP used social media for its shortlist vote and ran an Instagram campaign personifying the three candidates. “Rage bait” was shown as an anonymous figure in a lizard-like mask with the deliberately misspelled blurb, “I’m glad your mad!” “Biohack” appeared as a robotic, green-juice–drinking character (portrayed by London actor-model Brenda Finn) riffing on anti-aging and cosmetic trends. “Aura farming,” defined as cultivating a charismatic public image, was shown as a stylish influencer whose whimsical to-do list included banning fluorescent lighting and teaching people to ride a bike without hands.
Is it any surprise that last year’s Word of the Year was “brainrot”?