Cambridge Dictionary Names Parasocial Word of the Year 2025

Cambridge Dictionary has selected "parasocial" as its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting the growing phenomenon of one-sided emotional connections people form with celebrities, influencers and artificial intelligence tools.

The term, defined as involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, originated in 1956. Sociologists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl coined it to describe how television viewers developed illusory relationships with on-screen personalities, treating them like close friends or family despite the interactions being entirely one-way. In the decades since, social media and digital platforms have amplified these dynamics, allowing bloggers, influencers and even AI chatbots to foster a sense of intimacy through direct, personal-style communication.

Lexicographers at Cambridge Dictionary chose the word based on its surge in usage and lookups on their website this year, reflecting broader cultural shifts. "Parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist," said Colin McIntosh, a senior editor at the dictionary. "It's a great example of how language changes. What was once a specialist academic term has...