Cambridge Dictionary has named “parasocial” as the Word of the Year for 2025. The historic dictionary said that 2025 was “marked by interest in the one-sided parasocial relationships that people form with celebrities, influencers and AI chatbots”.

“Parasocial” is defined as “involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know”. 

Several AI-related words were added or updated in the Cambridge Dictionary this year, such as “slop”, as parts of the internet became awash with low-quality AI-generated content. Other new entrants to the Cambridge Dictionary included “skibidi”, “delulu” and “tradwife”.

Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUP), which publishes the dictionary, said of the Word of the Year: “When Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, many fans felt a deep connection to the singer and American footballer, even though most had never met them.

“Millions of fans related to Taylor Swift’s confessional lyrics about dating, heartbreak and desire, leading to what psychologists describe as ‘parasocial’ bonds with stars. Lily Allen’s ‘breakup album’ West End Girl leant into parasocial interest in her love life.”

The press added: “The spontaneity, imperfection and confessional nature of podcast hosts have been said to replace real friends and to catalyse parasocial relationships. The emergence of parasocial relationships with AI bots saw people treat ChatGPT as a confidant, friend or even romantic partner. These led to emotionally meaningful – and in some cases troubling – connections for users, and concerns about the consequences.”

The term “parasocial” dates back to 1956, when University of Chicago sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl observed television viewers engaging in “para-social” relationships with on-screen personalities, resembling those they formed with “real” family and friends. They noted how the rapidly expanding medium of television brought the faces of actors directly into viewers’ homes, making them fixtures in people’s lives, CUP said.

The publisher added: “In 2025, the ‘chronically online’ developed unreciprocated parasocial relationships with YouTubers and influencers who they feel they know, becoming invested in all the twists and turns of their personal lives. The global mania around The Summer I Turned Pretty [Amazon Prime TV show] finale saw fans dissecting every romantic relationship in the show on TikTok and Instagram, as they encamped into ‘Team Conrad’ or ‘Team Jeremiah’.

“As streamer IShowSpeed blocked an obsessive fan as his ‘number 1 parasocial’, the Cambridge Dictionary experienced another surge in lookups for the word. Similarly when musician Chappell Roan called out some fans’ ‘creepy behaviour’ last year, psychologists noted the resurgence of ‘parasocial relationships’.”

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