‘Parasocial’ named Cambridge’s 2025 word of the year
Cambridge Dictionary has selected "parasocial" as its 2025 Word of the Year, reflecting the rise of one-sided emotional bonds with celebrities, influencers and even AI tools. Once an academic term, it has surged into mainstream use amid digital fandom and growing trust in online personalities. Cambridge also added new AI-related words such as "slop", "pseudonymization" and "memeify".