-baiting

American  

1. a combining form used to describe hate speech and other rhetoric or depictions that target a minoritized group in order to denigrate that group or for the purpose of pitting different identity groups against one another.

   gender-baiting;

   queerbaiting;

   race-baiting.

---

Etymology

Origin of -baiting

First recorded in 1920–25; from bait ( def. ) (in the sense “to worry, torment”) + -ing ¹ ( def. ); modeled after Jew-baiting ( def. )

Example Sentences

Through a proprietary mixture of light nostalgia baiting and ever-present curiosity, Gellar has achieved a rare type of icon status — a superstar who owns her legacy, but isn’t willing to rest on her laurels.

From Salon

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, says Sir Alex Ferguson told him to cut out the step-overs when he was a plucky youngster at Manchester United baiting Premier League full-backs.

From BBC

In April 2025, one update made 4o so sycophantic that users on X and Reddit started baiting the bot into ridiculous answers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pua is grinning, and I know she’s baiting me into talking.

From Literature

The scam involves baiting a customer with an initial cheap quote before adding on hidden charges and carrying out unnecessary work that leads to spiralling costs.

From BBC