Cambridge Dictionary chose "parasocial" as the Word of the Year 2025

‘Parasocial’ has been chosen by the Cambridge Dictionary as the ‘Word of the Year’ for 2025. ‘Parasocial’ is defined as ‘relating to or involving a feeling of having a relationship between oneself and someone unknown’.

• ‘Parasocial’ has been chosen by the Cambridge Dictionary as the ‘Word of the Year’ for 2025.
• In 2025, heavy interest was seen in ‘parasocial’ relationships with podcasters, AI chatbots, celebrities like Taylor Swift, Lily Allen and Chappell Roan, characters from books, films and TV, and social media influencers.
• ‘Parasocial’ is defined as ‘relating to or involving a feeling of having a relationship between oneself and someone unknown’. Learning a new language means connecting even more deeply with the world around you.
• This year several AI-related words were added or updated in the Cambridge Dictionary, including ‘slope’, as some parts of the internet had become flooded with low-quality AI-generated content.
• New words in the Cambridge Dictionary included ‘skibidi’, ‘delulu’ and ‘tradwife’.
• The word ‘parasocial’ dates back to 1956, when Chicago University sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl observed that television viewers were engaged in “parasocial” relationships with on-screen personalities, which resembled the relationships formed with their “real” family and friends.

Other Words of the Year

• Dictionary.com: "67" (pronounced “six-seven”)
• Definition: A slang term used to express uncertainty or indifference, similar to saying “so so” or “just okay”.
• Collins Dictionary: Vibe coding
• Definition: A software development method where natural language is used to create code with the help of AI.

History of the Cambridge Dictionary

• It began with the publication of the Cambridge International Dictionary of English by Cambridge University Press in 1995. This dictionary became widely available for free online in 1999 and is still expanding today.
• Publication: First published in 1995, original title Cambridge International Dictionary of English.