Feel a Connection to a Celebrity You’ve Never Met? Your Bond May Be 'Parasocial,' Which Is Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2025

The term is used to describe “a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know,” according to the dictionary

Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent

November 18, 2025 4:11 p.m.

Many fans have developed parasocial relationships with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, pictured here in January 2025 at the AFC Championship Game in Kansas City, Missouri. David Eulitt / Getty Images

When singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and professional football player Travis Kelce announced their engagement earlier this year, fans showered the duo with love and support. Many onlookers gushed about the couple just like they would a pair of very dear friends, even though most had never met or interacted with Swift or Kelce.

Researchers say this is an example of a “parasocial” relationship, a one-sided interaction in which an individual develops a strong connection with a public figure, a fictional character or someone else who is unaware of their existence.

These lopsided relationships are now so prevalent—and so widely acknowledged—that the Cambridge Dictionary has dubbed “parasocial” its word of the year for 2025.

“What was once a specialist academic term has become mainstream,” says Colin McIntosh, a lexicographer at the Cambridge Dictionary, in a statement. “Millions of people are engaged in parasocial relationships; many more are simply intrigued by their rise.”

The concept dates back to 1956, when American sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl came up with the term “para-social” to describe the relationships some viewers formed with TV personalities. Decades later, viewers are still forming parasocial relationships with TV personalities, but they’re also forming them with influencers, content creators, actors, musicians and other individuals in the public eye.

A parasocial relationship involves an “illusion of friendship,” Elizabeth Perse, a former communications scholar at the University of Delaware, told USA Today’s Elise Brisco in 2021. Sometimes, these relationships can become “unhealthy and intense,” says Simone Schnall, a social psychologist at the University of Cambridge, in the statement.

“This leads to a sense that people ‘know’ those they form parasocial bonds with, can trust them and even to extreme forms of loyalty,” she adds. “Yet it’s completely one-sided.”

Why people form parasocial relationships - Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year 2025

Searches for “parasocial” had been growing steadily, but they jumped in June 2025 when media outlets began covering the potential effects of chatbots powered by artificial intelligence on children and mental health. They also surged after a YouTube content creator blocked a follower who identified as the creator’s “number one parasocial.” In September 2025, the Cambridge Dictionary updated its definition of parasocial to include the possibility of a relationship with A.I.

Why do some individuals feel a deep, meaningful connection with chatbots or celebrities they’ve never met? It likely boils down to human nature, says Schnall in a video accompanying the announcement.

“We are social creatures,” she says. “Our brains have evolved to be with other people. Being in a social context is the default. We see social connections everywhere, whether they’re real or not.”

Parasocial relationships are often harmless. But they can become detrimental when they start to replace real-life social interaction, Schnall adds.

Fun fact: How does the Cambridge Dictionary select new words to add?

To choose new terms, editors track lookups online and monitor media channels representing “a range of subjects and a mix of formal or informal language,” according to the dictionary’s website.

Beyond parasocial, several other words with ties to A.I. were also added or updated in the Cambridge Dictionary in 2025. They include “slop,” defined as “content on the internet that is of very low quality, especially when it is created by A.I.,” and “memeify,” a verb meaning “to turn an event, image, person, etc. into a meme.”

More broadly, the dictionary has recently added more than 6,000 new words, phrases and meanings that are becoming increasingly popular on social media and beyond. “Lewk,” a play on the word “look,” means “a particular style, fashion or outfit, especially one that is unusual and impressive.” Meanwhile, “broligarchy” means “a small group of men, especially men owning or involved in a technology business, who are extremely rich and powerful, and who have or want political influence.”

While dictionary debates are often heated, the editors stand behind their decisions, arguing that these terms and phrases are very much in the zeitgeist.

“We’re not here to judge what’s a good word, what’s a bad word and whether it’s valid—it’s more if it stands the test of time and if people are using it all over place,” says Jessica Rundell, a senior editor for the Cambridge Dictionary, to BBC News’ Katy Prickett and Mousumi Bakshi.

Earlier this month, Dictionary.com named “67” as its 2025 word of the year. The viral term, which has become especially popular among members of Gen Alpha, is “meaningless, ubiquitous and nonsensical,” according to a statement from the dictionary.

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