Cambridge 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.” It can now also be defined as the dictionary’s 2025 Word of the Year, thanks, at least in part, to Taylor Swift‘s engagement to Travis Kelce, streamer iShowSpeed blocking an overzealous fan, and widespread controversies involving AI chatbots.
“As social media intensifies the intimacy that fans feel with their adored celebrities, and with the rise in popularity of AI companions that can take on personalities, the word for these one-way relationships – parasocial – is having its own moment,” Cambridge Dictionary wrote in an overview of the term’s development in culture throughout the year.
According to the report, searches for “parasocial” spiked in June when iShowSpeed — named Rolling Stone’s most influential creator of 2025 — blocked a fan account on X that published an extensive thread about his past relationship. The compilation of posts made assumptions about the streamer’s private life, what his family thought of his former partner, and more boundary-crossing observations shared as fact. When iShowSpeeed blocked the account, which identified as his “number 1 parasocial,” the user behind it pleaded, “I’ll delete the tweet please unblock me I’ve dead been shaking non stop please I’ll stop.”
Another spike came in August, when Swift and Kelce announced their engagement after two years of dating. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the couple wrote in a joint post on Instagram. It playfully reflected the personal relationship some Swifties feel towards the musician, having been on a journey through the highs and lows of her past relationships by way of her music for nearly two decades. “Taylor Swift is engaged and I’ve never felt more parasocial over someone,” one viral post read. Other fans shared videos of themselves crying tears of joy, while people who have convinced themselves that Swift is secretly gay pushed more conspiracy theories.
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That same month, attorneys general from 44 states signed an open letter warning AI companies about the dangers of “chatbot parasocial relationships,” particularly as they relate to children. This came after internal reports from Meta that coding in its AI technology on Facebook allowed for chatbots to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual,” per Reuters. As the year progressed, AI programs, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Character Technologies’ Character.ai, among others, were linked to harrowing instances of self-harm and suicide in young users.
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“It’s interesting from a language point of view because it has made the transition from an academic term to one used by ordinary people in their social media posts,” Colin McIntosh, Cambridge Dictionary Chief Editor, said in the report. “And it also captures the zeitgeist of 2025, as the public’s fascination with celebrities and their lifestyles continues to reach new heights.”
Earlier this year, Cambridge Dictionary added “Skibidi,” “Tradwife,” and “Delulu” to its lexicon. Looking ahead, the report concludes, it will also be keeping an eye on “Glazing,” “Vibey,” and “Bias,” as in the term for “the object of a fan’s stanning” as popularized by K-Pop fans.
