Dhaka, Dec. 1 -- The Oxford University Press has chosen rage bait as its 2025 word of the year, reflecting the explosive role of online content engineered to spark outrage.

Use of the term has tripled over the past 12 months, underscoring a growing cultural preoccupation with how emotion is employed online.

The Oxford English Dictionary's publisher counted 30,000 votes in three days and consulted experts before selecting the winner from a shortlist of three: rage bait, aura farming, and biohack.

The words, Oxford said in an online announcement, "reflect our conversations and preoccupation over the past year".

Rage bait is defined as "online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or ...