Ever found yourself emotionally invested in a celebrity, influencer or even your favourite chatbot – despite the fact that they’ve never even acknowledged you? That’s called a parasocial relationship…and it’s the fresh-out-of-the-box word that the Cambridge Dictionary has crowned its Word of the Year for 2025.
So… what is parasocial?
It’s the fancy term for when you feel like you really know someone you absolutely do not. The idea was coined way back in the 1950s, when TV stars first started appearing in living rooms and people treated them like honorary family members. Fast-forward to 2025, and the concept has upgraded from “I love this TV host” to “Taylor Swift and I basically share a soul” or “my favorite chatbot gets me.”
2025: Peak Parasocial Energy
This year delivered parasocial moments like:
- Fans swooning over the Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce engagement as if they were on the guest list.
- Podcast hosts becoming pseudo-friends for millions of listeners craving confessional vibes.
- Influencers dealing with fans who treat them like lifelong besties—sometimes sweet, sometimes scary.
- And of course, people forming heartfelt bonds with AI bots. Some chatbots became therapists, crushes or emotional support machines… which is adorable until it’s not.
Psychologists have raised eyebrows at all this, saying the line between admiration and obsession has never been blurrier. When someone streams for hours, posts 24/7 or sings about heartbreak in a way that feels painfully relatable, it’s easy to mistake “I’ve seen every minute of your content” for “We’re close.”
Why the word matters
Dictionary editors say parasocial exploded in searches this year. It captures how technology, culture and fandom are twisting into new shapes. What used to be an academic term now describes everyday life—because everyone, at some point, has felt a bond with someone on a screen.
Teachers love the word because it helps language learners describe modern digital life. Psychologists love it because it explains a lot of today’s online behaviour. And the general public loves it because… well, it explains them.
Bonus words that also made noise in 2025
Alongside parasocial, the dictionary added a few gems:
- slop — low-effort AI content flooding the internet.
- skibidi, delulu, tradwife — internet-fueled cultural slang.
- pseudonymization — the art of turning personal data into unrecognisable mush.
- memeify — turning anything and everything into an instant meme.
2025 wasn’t just the year of new words — it was the year we all had to admit we’re a little too invested in people we only “know” through screens. Parasocial relationships aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re definitely worth understanding. Because in the modern world, the line between “fan” and “friend” has never been thinner… or more imaginary.
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