What does 'parasocial', declared Word of the Year by Cambridge Dictionary, mean?
'Parasocial', declared Word of the Year by Cambridge Dictionary, means "involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they don't know". Lexicographers picked it in a year they said was marked by interest in one-sided parasocial relationships that people form with celebrities, influencers and AI chatbots. The term dates back to 1956.