2025 was filled with rage bait. Why Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year makes total sense

Oxford Dictionary just revealed its official word of 2025. It’s “rage bait.”

According to an official announcement post, Oxford Dictionary’s team of lexicographers choose a shortlist of potential words each year by analyzing data and trends to “identify new and emerging words and expressions, which our lexicographers think of as a ‘single unit’, and examine the shifts in how more established language is being used.”

This year’s final contenders were “aura farming,” “biohack,” and “rage bait.” In the end, 30,000 members of the public voted for their top choices, and Oxford chose rage bait as the winner.

Per the Oxford Dictionary’s editors, rage bait is defined as: “Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically p