'Rage bait' crowns as Oxford's 2025 Word of the Year: Here's why it matters

You might find yourself growing anxious while scrolling through social media apps—sometimes for reasons that feel unclear, even to you.

If so, you may have fallen victim to “rage bait,” named Oxford University Press Word of the Year 2025.

Rage bait outclassed two other trendy viral slangs—aura farming and biohack—to clinch the title of Word of the Year 2025.

These words not only defined the moods of the digital audience but also helped share the conversations that have been trending in 2025.

History of "rage bait"

To trace the history of “rage bait,” we have to go back to 2002, when it first surfaced in a post on a Usenet discussion group.

First it was used to describe a specific type of driver reaction to being flashed by another driver, leading to the idea of deliberate provocation.

Over time, it was adopted as internet slang to describe viral tweets that often critique entire networks of content, which shape online content, including platforms, creators, and prevailing trends.

What does "rage bait" mean?

"Rage bait" is a compound of the words "rage" (meaning "a violent outburst of anger") and "bait" (an attractive morsel of food), according to the publisher.

Both terms are well recognized in English, dating to the Middle English period.

While it shares a common goal of boosting online engagement with its relative clickbait, rage bait is more narrowly focused on provoking anger, discord, and polarization.

As for this year’s winner, Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, explains why “Rage bait” was chosen as Word of the Year 2025, saying: “

“As technology and artificial intelligence become ever more embedded into our daily lives—from deepfake celebrities and AI-generated influencers to virtual companions and dating platforms—there’s no denying that 2025 has been a year defined by questions around who we truly are, both online and offline.”

Previous Oxford words of the year have included "brain rot," "selfie," "goblin mode," and "rizz."

What are other Words of the Year 2025?

Oxford’s pick joins the other 2025 Words of the Year, which are:

• “6-7,” the viral TikTok slang by Dictionary.com
• “Vibe coding” by Collins Dictionary
• "Parasocial” by Cambridge Dictionary, and
• AI Slop,” by Macquarie Dictionary

These words portray the growing anxieties about AI’s increasing role in our daily lives. In fact, as reflected in these picks, the year 2025 will be defined by exploring our identities both online and offline.