Oxford English Dictionary rage baits traditionalists by naming 'rage bait' as its word of the year 2025

The venerable Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is perhaps the most comprehensive attempt humans have ever made to nail down the wonderfully wriggly English language and, over 140 years after the first volume was published, is still battling against the tides. In recent times, one of the tricks publisher Oxford University Press (OUP) has used to maintain interest is to make its "word or phrase of the year" a very internet-aware prize: in 2013 the winner was "selfie", in 2015 it went to the "emoji tears of joy", and in 2022 the gong went to "goblin mode."

These days the process involves a public vote (based on a shortlist produced by the OED), which informs the final decision made by its stern-faced lexicographers. "Rage bait" beat out "aura farming" and "biohack" to scoop the title.

The OED defines "rage bait" thusly: "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."

So essentially the manipulative tactics deployed online by many unscrupulous publishers in order to get you mad, get you clicking, and get you engaged. It's so ubiquitous you see it in every single field, from politics to football to celebrity culture, and OUP claims the use of the phrase "rage bait" has tripled over the last year.

It is of course not to be confused with the equally ubiquitous term "clickbait", which feels like it's largely lost the meaning it once held: a provocative or misleading headline designed to lure a reader in. These days it feels like people use "clickbait" to denigrate anything they don't like, even if the article's contents live up to the headline.

The difference between the two is creating anger in the reader, but don't take my word for it. Here's the OED citation:

"Rage bait is a compound of the words rage, meaning a violent outburst of anger, and bait, an attractive morsel of food. Both terms are well-established in English and date back to Middle English times. Although a close parallel to the etymologically related clickbait, rage bait has a more specific focus on evoking anger, discord, and polarization.

"The emergence of rage bait as a standalone term highlights both the flexibility of the English language, where two established words can be combined to give a more specific meaning in a particular context (in this case, online) and come together to create a term that resonates with the world we live in today."

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, takes the admirably optimistic view that this choice reflects an increasing media-savviness about online tactics.

"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," says Grathwohl.

"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."

Grathwohl also links "rage bait" to last year's winner "brain rot."

"Together, they form a powerful cycle where outrage sparks engagement, algorithms amplify it, and constant exposure leaves us mentally exhausted."

Well… when you're right, you're right. But do pour one out for "aura farming" which would've been an equally good shout as winner: the OED defines this as "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." But perhaps they're just rage baiting me.

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