'Parasocial' tops Cambridge Dictionary's list for 2025 word of the year
The term describes a deep bond people feel with someone they don't actually know, such as a celebrity, social media influencer, or even an AI companion.
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Cambridge Dictionary has named "parasocial" as its word of the year.
The term describes a deep bond people feel with someone they don't actually know, such as a celebrity, social media influencer, or even an AI companion.
The word was first coined in the 1950s.
Other contenders included "slop," which refers to low-quality internet content, and "memeify," used when an event, image, or person is turned into an internet meme.
