WASHINGTON — If it feels like the internet is built to make you mad, Oxford Languages just confirmed you’re not imagining it. The organization has named “rage bait” as its 2025 Word of the Year in reference to the provocative, outrage-fueling posts that increasingly dominate social media feeds.

Defined as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic or engagement with a particular web page or social media content,” “rage bait” was selected after three days of public voting and analysis of language data and commentary.

30,000 people voted on a shortlist that also included “aura farming” and “biohack.”

Oxford says usage of the term has tripled in the last 12 months, as h

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