This month the lexicographers at Oxford University Press have recognized ‘Rage Bait’ as Word of the Year for 2025.
According to Oxford, the phrase refers to internet content that is intentionally designed to be frustrating, illicit, or offensive with the goal of causing angry reactions to drive attention to the social media account responsible.
Rage Bait was a close contender with the phrases “Aura Farming” and “Biohack”. In an interview with BBC about why this particular word was chosen, president of Oxford Languages Casper Grathwohl said “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… 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.“
Additionally, Dictionary.com named “67” as its Word of the Year.
Sources:
https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-year-2025/