2025 Word of the Year revealed

Oxford University Press (OUP) has chosen “rage bait” as the Word of the Year 2025, according to the BBC.

The term refers to online content deliberately designed to provoke anger or outrage among users, often being provocative, offensive, or frustrating, CE Report quotes ATA.

According to OUP, the use of this term has tripled over the past 12 months.

“Rage bait” is similar to “clickbait,” where the goal is to attract users’ attention to visit an article or video, but it primarily focuses on making people angry to increase traffic to websites or social media accounts.

Two other nominated terms were “aura farming” and “biohack.”

“Aura farming” refers to creating a charismatic or attractive image by behaving in a way that conveys an aura of trust.

“Biohack” is the attempt to improve physical or mental performance, health, and well-being through changes in diet, exercise, lifestyle, or the use of technological devices and supplements.

Oxford Languages emphasizes that the rise in the use of “rage bait” indicates that people are becoming more aware of manipulative online tactics and their impact on our emotions.

The shift from mere curiosity to emotional impact reflects an evolution in online culture and the way the internet interacts with users.

Last year’s Word of the Year, “brain rot,” related to mental fatigue from endless scrolling on Instagram and TikTok.

Previous OUP words have included “selfie,” “goblin mode,” and “rizz.”

Meanwhile, Cambridge Dictionary has chosen “parasocial” for 2025, describing imagined relationships someone feels with a celebrity they do not personally know.

Collins Dictionary selected “vibe coding,” the art of creating apps or websites by describing them to artificial intelligence without manual coding.

These choices reflect the growing trend of emotional impact on social media and how people interact with online content in the digital world of 2025.