Cambridge Dictionary has selected “parasocial” as its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting the growing public fascination with one-sided relationships
formed with celebrities, influencers and even artificial intelligence.
The dictionary defines “parasocial” as “involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence.” According to Cambridge University Press & Assessment, interest in these relationships surged throughout the year, reflecting how digital culture continues to blur the boundaries between public figures and personal lives.
The rise of AI has played a key role in this shift. “Parasocial” was one of several AI-related entries added or updated in the Cambridge Dictionary in 2025, alongside terms such as “slop,” meaning low-quality online content, particularly when produced by AI.
Simone Schnall, Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at the University of Cambridge, said: “Parasocial is the perfect Word of the Year. "The rise of parasocial relationships has redefined fandom, celebrity and, with AI, how ordinary people interact online. "We’ve entered an age where many people form unhealthy and intense parasocial relationships with influencers. This leads to a sense that people ‘know’ those they form parasocial bonds with, can trust them and even to extreme forms of loyalty. Yet it’s completely one sided."
Although the term has recently exploded into mainstream conversation, its origins date back nearly seven decades. In 1956, University of Chicago sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl coined “para-social” to describe the pseudo-relationships viewers developed with familiar television personalities—figures who seemed to occupy the same space as family and friends as TV sets became household staples.
Colin McIntosh of the Cambridge Dictionary said the renewed attention shows how quickly language evolves. “Parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist,” he said. “What began as a niche academic term is now mainstream. Millions of people experience parasocial relationships, and many more are curious about them. We saw clear spikes in lookups for ‘parasocial’ on our website.” Photo by Vysotsky, Wikimedia commons.