Oxford University Press has chosen ‘rage bait’ as 2025 Word of the Year , reflecting rising trend of online content crafted to provoke anger and engagement.

The term rage bait refers to online content deliberately crafted to provoke anger or outrage. The idea is that by being provocative or offensive the content will draw intense emotional responses, encouraging comments shares and high engagement.

According to Oxford, the usage of this phrase has tripled over the past year which shows how widespread the phenomenon has become in 2025. This choice seems to reflect a changing pattern in digital communication.

What began as merely grabbing attention with sensationalism now appears to aim directly at triggering strong emotional reactions. Electronic platforms and social media have grown inc

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