Oxford just dropped its Word of the Year for 2025, and it’s guaranteed to rile up anyone who insists a word must be, well, one word.
“Rage bait” took the top spot, beating out aura farming and biohack.
What does Rage bait mean?
The Oxford Dictionary defines rage bait as “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 content.”
Is rage bait one or two words?
Rage bait is technically two words, but Oxford says its Word of the Year can be a single word or an expression.
“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

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