Cambridge Dictionary has chosen 'parasocial' as its 2025 Word of the Year to highlight one-sided emotional bonds people form with celebrities, influencers and increasingly AI. The term, coined in 1956 by Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, has moved from academic use into mainstream conversation. Experts warn these attachments can become intense and unhealthy, producing a false sense of familiarity and loyalty. The dictionary also noted other new entries such as slop and memeify and added about 6,000 words this year.
Cambridge Dictionary Names 'Parasocial' 2025 Word of the Year — Spotlight on One-Sided Bonds With Celebrities and AI
Cambridge Dictionary has chosen 'parasocial' as its 2025 Word of the Year to highlight one-sided emotional bonds people form with celebrities, influencers and increasingly AI. The term, coined in 1956 by Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, has moved from academic use into mainstream conversation. Experts warn these attachments can become intense and unhealthy, producing a false sense of familiarity and loyalty. The dictionary also noted other new entries such as slop and memeify and added about 6,000 words this year.
03:39 AM, 11/18/2025Culture
Cambridge Dictionary selects 'parasocial' as 2025 Word of the Year
Cambridge Dictionary has named 'parasocial' its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting the growing phenomenon of one-sided emotional bonds that people form with public figures and, increasingly, artificial intelligences.
The term originated in 1956 when sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl coined 'para-social' to describe how television viewers developed perceived relationships with on-screen personalities. Cambridge Dictionary says that original insight remains relevant in the social media era, where followers often form attachments to celebrities, influencers and content creators without any personal interaction.
The entry cites contemporary examples to illustrate the trend. Public reaction to singer Taylor Swift's engagement to NFL player Travis Kelce generated intense emotional discussion among fans who overwhelmingly have no personal connection to the couple. British artist Lily Allen's new album West End Girl, which explores a breakup, also prompted renewed public interest in her private life — another form of parasocial engagement.
Use of the term has accelerated in 2025 amid rising concern about people forming attachment-like relationships with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. Colin McIntosh, a lexicographer at Cambridge Dictionary, said the selection 'captures the 2025 zeitgeist' and shows how a once-academic label has entered mainstream conversation.
Colin McIntosh: Millions of people are engaged in parasocial relationships; many more are simply intrigued by their rise. The language around parasocial phenomena is evolving fast as technology, society and culture shift — from celebrities to chatbots.
Simone Schnall, Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge, described the choice as 'inspired' and warned that parasocial ties can become unhealthy and intense. She noted these one-sided bonds can create a false sense of familiarity, trust and even extreme loyalty toward figures who do not reciprocate the relationship.
Other notable additions and trends
Cambridge Dictionary also highlighted several other influential entries from 2025, including slop (internet content of very low quality, especially when produced by AI) and memeify (to turn an event, image or person into a meme). The dictionary added roughly 6,000 new words this year, with newcomers such as delulu, skibidi and tradwife among them.
As platforms, fandom and AI continue to reshape online interaction, 'parasocial' captures both a linguistic shift and a social one: the growing prominence of relationships that look emotional but are fundamentally one-sided.