Ever wondered what a single word could tell us about the last 12 months? The Oxford Word of the Year does exactly that, capturing the trends, scandals and obsessions of the year. From ‘selfie’ to ‘😂’ and now ‘rage bait’, it’s safe to say language is evolving thanks to social media and the all too familiar ‘doom scroll’ For PR and marketing pros, these words aren’t just fun trivia, they’re insight into what makes people click, comment or share… sometimes for all the wrong reasons.
The process watches language in motion, identifying new words popping up and older words reinventing themselves in a whole new way. From global headlines to funny moments that get people talking, it reveals how society and culture are constantly shaping the way we speak.
The aim is to highlight the defining themes and moments of each year that took the internet by storm, culminating a word or expression that captures all the cultural chaos. Fiona McPherson, senior editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, explains that the Word of the Year “can provide a window into what is preoccupying us at any given moment – indeed, a look back at the previous winners and also the shortlists can really unlock the memories of what was going on in our lives.”
While the Word of the Year changes annually, one thing has remained constant since the launch of the initiative in 2004, technology loves to steal the spotlight. A standout example is ‘selfie’ (2013), which reflected the rise of social media and saw the word’s usage skyrocket by 17,000 per cent to 2012. In 2015, Oxford broke its own rules! Not a word or expression but a turning point in digital communication, the winner was ‘😂’ (the face with tears of joy Emoji), proving a tiny symbol can say a lot more than words. Emojis became a part of everyday language following their introduction to Apple iPhones in 2011, and it’s clear they’re here to stay!
The continued buzz and visibility around the Word of the Year shows people are more fascinated by language than ever before. Words have moved far beyond basic communication, evolving into powerful expressions that reflect culture, identity and feelings.
The Word of the Year has evolved massively from the way words were popularised in the early 2000s. Vocabulary was spread by print media, books and television but the emergence of technology has always been prominent, even in the early days with words like ‘podcast’, ‘unfriend’ and ‘gif’ taking the top spots. Recently, words such as ‘goblin mode’ and ‘rizz’ have been successful, linking more to the social media aspect of technology to emphasise the continued impact of our online presence that incorporates modern influences.
Words have evolved to showcase the dominance of digital culture. Recent winners and shortlists show social media is where language evolves and the influence of “Gen Z” slang is highly influential. Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages said, “These words don’t just define trends; they reveal how digital platforms are reshaping our thinking and behaviour” which is a result of cultural shifts and patterns.
The 2025 Word of the Year is ‘‘rage bait” (noun). The term refers to online content that is deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive, typically posted to increase traffic or engagement with a particular webpage or social media account. The words originate from middle English time, ‘rage’ being a violent outburst of anger and ‘bait’ referring to an attractive morsel of food to attract attention.
‘Rage bait’ has become particularly prominent in 2025 due to the dominance of social media in shaping language and the value of engagement, especially on platforms such as TikTok. Luring audiences in with outrage is powerful for engagement, resulting in higher likes, comments, clicks and shares.
It could be argued ‘rage bait’ is topical within the marketing industry, but why is this? Marketing relies on genuine, authentic content to attract target audiences and inform them of a product or service. However, the rise of rage bait raises questions as to the effect that this engagement method will have on the direction of the industry. If content that is deemed as infuriating towards audiences attracts the most engagement, should brands adopt controversial tactics to gain visibility and promote their business?
The publicity surrounding the Oxford Word of the Year inevitably increases public awareness of rage bait as a recognised tactic in campaigns, making people question if a brand is using outrage to appear bold or relevant. This has the potential to create tension between reach and responsibility, putting businesses at risk of backlash if audiences feel emotionally manipulated by their campaigns.
This highlights the uncomfortable reality that negative emotions spread faster, and outrage is algorithmically rewarded. While strategies will deliver short-term visibility, they can conflict with the long-term objectives of marketing such as trust building and credibility.
With the wide variety of themes across the 21 years of the Oxford Word of the Year, predicting next year’s winner is impossible and is only limited to our imagination. On one hand, it’ clear technology is prominent and here to stay, reflecting its growing influence on everyday life. Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a further advancement in technology, is likely to feature more frequently in communications, making AI– related words or expressions strong contenders for the 2026 title.
However, due to the unpredictable nature of societal issues and cultural events, any sudden or significant development could disrupt this trend and break the pattern of technologically influenced words.