Proofbait

Proofbait, also Sourcebait, Evidencebait, Factbait, is a mix of proofpost and sciencebait that consists of demanding proof, sources, evidence, or facts not as a genuine request for information but as a bait tactic to provoke engagement, delay discussion, or derail argument. Proofbait is the rhetorical equivalent of "prove it" repeated endlessly, regardless of how much proof is provided. Each proof is met with a new demand—a different kind of proof, a more authoritative source, a more recent study, a more rigorous methodology. The goal is not to find truth but to exhaust the interlocutor, to make conversation so laborious that opponents give up. Proofbait is especially effective on platforms where appearing rational matters—the baiter looks like a reasonable skeptic, while the target exhausts themselves providing ever more evidence to someone who never intended to be convinced.

Example: "She provided a source for her claim. He proofbaited: 'That source is biased.' She provided a different source. 'That's too old.' Another source. 'That study has limitations.' Another. 'Can you find a meta-analysis?' After ten rounds, she realized the proof was never enough—proofbait had been the point. He wasn't seeking evidence; he was seeking exhaustion."

by Dumu The Void February 18, 2026

Counter-probaiting

An amalgamation of counterproductive and baiting

Basically, when you try to bait someone, but it bites you in the ass

Aaron: Hey, I just got rid of the ants in my house by keeping sugar out in the open
Zelda: Oof, dude, that's some counter-probaiting on point

by WarriorWithin August 10, 2020

Proofstitute

A person who enjoys high proofed spirits, such as barrell proof, cask strength, full proof varieties of the favorite liquor.

HotButteryRolls from YouTube is a proofstitute

by tonytwotoes January 8, 2021

proofstitute

Someone who always needs proof.

Billy is a proofstitute and a dispatcher.
Dispatcher: 911 what's your emergency?
Citizen: There's a serial killer in my room! Send help!
Dispatcher: Do you have proof?
Dispatcher: Hello?

by Moment2Blossom June 5, 2017

Proofgate

When the folk on places like Reddit, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube spread their conspiracies with little to none evidence, believing their findings to be true based on whatever the case may be.

Person 1: Mate, MSM are lying to people and are being controled by jews and shit.
Person 2: Nah fam, Proofgate. all they've been doing is reporting shit, and you've shown me 0% proof

by Mitch1112 December 27, 2020

probaition

A "let's see if you can behave yourself this time" period dat you hafta struggle through after having committed some illegal game-enticing action when trapping, hunting, or fishing.

Visiting angler from New York: Da Rhode Island game warden agreed wif me dat, since da employee at da nearby sporting-goods shop had been da one who had recommended canned corn to put on my hook, it was really said inattentive clerk's fault dat I'd unknowingly used an illegal-in-only-dat-one-state attractant, not mine. So he merely gave me a six-month probaition period instead of making me either pay a fine or appear in court.

by QuacksO December 25, 2021

Proofshitpost

The aggressive, bad-faith demand for impossible or irrelevant levels of formal proof ("peer-reviewed studies only") to discredit an opponent's lived experience or a well-established social fact. The goal isn't to get proof, but to move the goalposts indefinitely, knowing the demand can't be met in the context, thereby declaring victory by default.

Proofshitpost Example: When presented with statistics and personal testimonies about systemic racism, a responder says, "I'll need a double-blind, controlled study where identical twins of different races apply for the same jobs, or this is just correlation. Until then, I don't believe you." This is proofshitposting—using an inappropriate standard of "proof" from hard science to invalidate social reality and halt discourse.

by Dumuabzu February 8, 2026