Oxford Declares ‘Rage Bait’ 2025 Word of the Year, Boosts Outrage Traffic

Oxford University Press has declared “rage bait” as the Word of the Year for 2025. This term encapsulates the prevailing online sentiment, describing content intentionally crafted to provoke anger or outrage. Such material aims to attract viewers to specific social media platforms.

Understanding Rage Bait

According to lexicographer Susie Dent, rage bait is designed to generate significant interaction. It often results in millions of comments, shares, and likes. The phenomenon stems from social media algorithms that favor negative and provocative content over neutral or positive posts.

The Rise of Rage Bait

Rage bait’s popularity highlights current trends in online behavior. As users, we tend to engage more with content that stirs emotions, particularly anger, rather than positive or lighthearted material.

Other Contenders for Word of the Year

In this year’s selection process, “rage bait” surpassed two other notable phrases:

• Aura farming: This term refers to the careful cultivation of one’s public image, aiming to project confidence and allure.
• Biohack: This describes efforts to enhance physical or mental performance, health, or longevity.

The Selection Process

The Word of the Year is chosen by lexicographers at Oxford University Press. They closely monitor emerging words and shifts in language usage to determine terms of significant cultural relevance. Since 2004, Oxford has published a Word of the Year, with past selections including:

The selection of “rage bait” reflects a growing awareness of the effects of social media dynamics and their influence on public discourse. As the digital landscape evolves, so too does the language we use to describe it. Emegypt will continue to monitor these trends closely.