LONDON — Oxford University Press has announced that "rage bait" is its word of the year for 2025. This term reflects the current online culture, describing content specifically crafted to provoke anger or outrage. The goal of such content is to drive traffic to social media accounts, according to a statement from Oxford.

Lexicographer Susie Dent explained, "The person producing it will bask in the millions, quite often, of comments and shares and even likes sometimes." She noted that social media algorithms play a significant role in this phenomenon. "Although we love fluffy cats, we’ll appreciate that we tend to engage more with negative content and content that really provokes us," Dent added.

"Rage bait" was chosen over two other finalists: "aura farming" and "biohack." The term "aura farming" refers to the practice of cultivating a public image to convey confidence or mystique. Meanwhile, "biohack" describes efforts to enhance physical or mental performance, health, or longevity.

The selection of the word of the year is made by lexicographers at Oxford University Press, who analyze emerging words and shifts in language usage to identify terms of cultural significance. The organization has been naming a word of the year since 2004. Previous selections include "podcast" in 2005, "emoji" in 2015, and "goblin mode" in 2022, which described a reluctance to return to pre-pandemic norms.

In a related note, the Cambridge Dictionary has also announced its word of the year, which is "parasocial." This term describes a one-sided relationship that individuals may have with celebrities, influencers, or fictional characters. Although coined in 1956, it has gained renewed relevance in 2025, particularly among fan groups like the Swifties, according to Bree McEwan, a communications professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga.