Illustration by Oxford University Press.
Oxford University Press has chosen "rage bait" as the word of the year for 2025. This term refers to content created with the intent to provoke anger or irritation to attract attention online.
In the official release, OUP states that this decision reflects growing concerns about the negative consequences of digital culture — from trolling and toxic comments to manipulation and the spread of aggression online.
According to the methodology of the Oxford Word of the Year, a team of lexicographers analyzes millions of words from a global corpus of the English language, tracking usage frequency and social trends. Candidates are selected by dictionary editors and through public voting, after which a finalist is chosen.
In 2024, the word of the year was "brain rot," which is associated with the negative impact of low-quality or meaningless content on mental health and information perception.
According to OUP representatives, "rage bait" reflects "a troubling yet characteristic feature of 2025, when the digital space has irrevocably changed, and issues of manipulation, hate, and mental health have become an integral part of everyday online reality."
