baiting
n. uncountablen. the act of trying to make someone angry or upset on purpose, often by teasing them or saying something mean. It is also used to describe putting food on a hook to catch a fish.
n. the deliberate provocation of a person or animal to elicit an angry or aggressive response. In digital contexts, refers to the practice of posting inflammatory content to lure users into a heated argument.
He ignored the baiting and stayed calm.
The politician's speech was criticized for its obvious baiting of the opposition to distract from the main policy issues.
Psychologists suggest that chronic baiting in online forums often stems from a desire for social dominance rather than a genuine interest in debating the topic at hand.
Often appears in the compound 'click-baiting' or as a gerund describing a specific social behavior.