‘Rage bait’ named Oxford Word of the Year 2025: What does it mean?

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said the surge in usage of the word 'rage bait' shows an increased awareness of online manipulation tactics.

According to Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Languages, while the internet used to gain traction through curiosity for clicks, it has been hijacking and influencing emotions (Image source: @oxunipress/Instagram)

The Oxford University Press announced “rage bait” as the Word of the Year 2025. The term, which refers to a strategy used to push engagement in the digital space, was chosen over two other popular words of the year: “aura farming” and “biohack”. The final decision was taken after a public vote.

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said the surge in usage of “rage bait” shows an increased awareness of online manipulation tactics. According to him, while the internet used to gain traction by simulating curiosity to generate clicks, there has been a clear shift towards manipulating and influencing our emotions and responses.

“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 said.

“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,” he added.

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What is rage bait?

“Rage bait” refers to provocative content used to provoke outrage or anger. It is similar to clickbait, but with a clearer aim of triggering anger.

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The 2024 Word of the Year was “brain rot”, meaning the mental fatigue from mindless scrolling on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Grathwohl highlighted that both 2024’s and 2025’s words of the year share a similar theme.

He also noted that “rage bait” and “brain rot” create a cycle where outrage increases engagement, and constant exposure leads to mental exhaustion.