US EditionOxford Names 'Rage Bait' as 2025 Word of the Year
Oxford names 'rage bait' for its surge in use, highlighting concerns about social media algorithms and online outrage manipulation, with usage tripling in 2025.
- Oxford University Press named the phrase rage bait as its Word of the Year, reflecting recent language trends and mirroring moods that shaped public discourse over the past year.
- Over the past year, usage of rage bait spiked threefold, as Oxford defined it as online content designed to provoke anger and boost traffic.
- After a public vote that involved more than 30,000 people, Oxford assembled a shortlist and combined the vote with conversation and data, with entries personified by Uncommon.
- Oxford framed the choice as highlighting growing public awareness of manipulative online tactics and encouraging reflection, Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said.
- Oxford's method relies on Oxford's corpus of some 30 billion words and follows past Oxford winners like selfie, goblin mode, and rizz alongside Cambridge Dictionary and Collins Dictionary picks.
260 Articles
260 Articles
“Rage bait” has been named the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year for 2025. The term is used to describe online content that is intentionally designed to provoke anger or outrage.
Is this 'rage bait' if I'm not provoking you deliberately?
Unlike you, I actually own a full set of the Oxford English Dictionary. A dozen massive volumes — each a foot tall and weighing about eight pounds. A linear yard of navy blue spines — "Oxford blue," aptly enough — if you include the four supplements, stretched out across the upper shelf of the roll top desk behind me. Spin around in my chair and I can yank one down, and sometimes do.Why go to the trouble? When a few clicks will bring up any mean…
Oxford Dictionary's 'word of the year' explains all you need to know about Trump
The publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary has named “rage bait” its phrase of the year.Call it the monetization of rage. Rage has become a valuable commodity. (Always follow the money.)A growing number of online creators are making rage bait. Their goal is to record videos, produce memes, and w...
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