Oxford announces 2025 Word of the Year shortlist: public voting open until November 27
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Oxford University Press (OUP) has unveiled the shortlist for the 2025 Word of the Year, featuring three terms that capture emerging cultural and technological trends: aura farming, biohack, and rage bait.
Public voting is now open on corp.oup.com until November 27.
The annual tradition, running since 2007, highlights words that reflect global conversations, social shifts, and the evolving use of language.
According to OUP, this year’s selections stand out due to sharp spikes in usage and their relevance to modern life.
Aura farming, first seen online in 2023, surged in 2024 after a viral video of 11-year-old Indonesian dancer Rayyan Arkan Dikha popularised the term, which describes cultivating an effortlessly cool or charismatic public persona.
Biohack gained traction as conversations around longevity, elite wellness routines, and performance enhancement – from supplements to tech-driven interventions – dominated headlines.
Rage bait, referring to content designed to provoke anger and drive engagement, saw its usage triple over the past year, mirroring growing concerns about the impact of online outrage culture.
OUP noted that each shortlisted word reflects the mood of the past year. Previous winners include Brait Rot (2024), rizz (2023), goblin mode (2022), and vax (2021).
Voting closes on November 27, after which Oxford will announce the final Word of the Year 2025.