Rage Bait is the Oxford word of 2025

We've all fallen victim to this, online rage bait.

Oxford Dictionary has named it the Word of the Year for 2025 after polling 30,000 people.

Rage bait is defined as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content”.

For example, someone will post a statement like "I don't like puppies" just to get people fuming.

You might be tempted to comment on these posts, but in the best interest of your mental health, it's best to ignore them.

According to Oxford "Our experts noticed that the use of rage bait this year has evolved to signal a deeper shift in how we talk about attention—both how it is given and how it is sought after—engagement, and ethics online. The word has tripled in usage in the last 12 months."

Other words shortlisted for word of the year includes Aura farming and Biohack.

Aura farming: The cultivation of an impressive, attractive, or charismatic persona or public image by behaving or presenting oneself in a way intended subtly to convey an air of confidence, coolness, or mystique.

Biohack: To attempt to improve or optimise one's physical or mental performance, health, longevity, or wellbeing by altering one's diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle, or by using other means such as drugs, supplements, or technological devices.