Don’t get too upset, but ‘rage bait’ has been named by Oxford University Press as this year’s Word of the Year, beating other online terms.
The group behind the Oxford English Dictionary says the term is a noun which describes online content “deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage” to boost traffic or engagement.
You might be asking – isn’t that two words? The publisher says it’s not tricking you, and adds that it’s one word when used as a hyphenated compound phrase.
Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media account.
Why ‘rage bait’?
Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said that “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”.
He added: “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.”
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It’s the latest online term to be recognised by Oxford University Press – last year, the publisher picked ‘brain rot,’ and in 2023 picked ‘rizz’.
Every year, Oxford University Press names a new word of the year, with some picks confusing many.
Here’s a list of Oxford’s picks dating back over ten years – how many do you recognise?
2015: 😂 (‘Face with Tears of Joy’) – The first time a picture was selected, Oxford said that it “best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations” of the year.
2016: post-truth (adjective) – Defined as “relating to and denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”.
2017: youthquake (noun) – Defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”.
2018: toxic (adjective) – Already strictly defined as “poisonous,” the term was recognised for its growing use in describing unhealthy relationships.
2019: climate emergency (noun) – Defined as “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it”.
2020: No word chosen – The publisher said that the year was not one “that could neatly be accommodated in one” phrase, but did have a report on the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice protests.
2021: Vax (verb/noun) – Defined as either “a vaccine or vaccination” or as to “treat (someone) with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease”.
2022: goblin mode (slang noun) – Selected by online vote, it is a term defined as “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”.
2023: rizz (noun) – Defined as “style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner”.
2024: brain rot (noun) – Defined as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging”.
Mr Grathwohl said that while brain rot “captured the mental drain of endless scrolling, rage bait shines a light on the content purposefully engineered to spark outrage and drive clicks”.
“And together, they form a powerful cycle where outrage sparks engagement, algorithms amplify it, and constant exposure leaves us mentally exhausted,” he added.
“These words don’t just define trends, they reveal how digital platforms are reshaping our thinking and behaviour.”
What else was on the shortlist?
The other two options also stemmed from the internet, and were as follows…
• Aura farming (noun): 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 (verb): 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.
Aura farming has its origins in social media and was first used in 2023. During the general election last year, the Labour Party even made a TikTok about former prime minister Rishi Sunak being an “auramancer”.
As a term, biohack has been around for a fair bit longer, but has come to prominence as entrepreneurs seek to find ways to beat ageing and share their attempts online.
The three contenders were put to a public vote on Instagram, which then helped Oxford University Press’s language experts make their final decision.
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What have others called the word of the year?
While Oxford University Press has backed ‘rage bait,’ others have said differently, with Collins naming ‘vibe coding’ the word of the year.
That term refers to an emerging software development process that turns natural language into computer code using AI, and was coined by Andrej Karpathy, former director of AI at Tesla and a founding engineer at OpenAI.
Cambridge Dictionary, meanwhile, said its word of the year is ‘parasocial’ – meaning a connection someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know.
That came after a 2024 study revealed that while people found their emotional needs were still best met by friends and family, parasocial relationships with YouTubers were valued more than relationships with “real” acquaintances or colleagues.
