'Parasocial' Is Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year. Here Are All the Times You May Have Felt It

You know that feeling when you think you could be real-life friends with a singer, actor, or TV character? There’s a word for that, and it’s Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year for 2025.

Cambridge Dictionary named “parasocial” as its word of the year for 2025, highlighting the growing sense of connection people feel to individuals with whom they have no real association. In the age of social media and AI chatbots, maintaining a one-sided online relationship has never been easier, and thus, parasocial connections are all around us.

Cambridge defines the term 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.”

But what do these parasocial relationships look like? And have you or someone you know experienced one? Here are some recent pop culture moments that have exposed parasocial relationships.

Bennifer 2.0

When Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez rekindled their romance in 2021 after two decades apart, the internet rejoiced. With themes of Y2K nostalgia and the elusive notion that it’s never too late for a second chance at love, their ill-fated reunion seemed like a love story for the ages.

“Bennifer 2.0 Is The 2000s Reboot We Needed,” announced Buzzfeed. “If there is a shining bright spot in the world right now, it’s the reunion of Bennifer, the greatest celebrity gossip story the world has experienced in years,” declared Vox.

If their reconciliation — and, more specifically, their 2024 divorce — proved anything, it’s to never fall for a love story that isn’t your own.

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Engagement

A spike in searches for the term “parasocial” arrived this past August when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement with a series of Instagram photos of the proposal. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” they captioned the post.

While some fans took to social media to share videos of themselves crying, a more self-aware supporter struck gold with a viral tweet that read: “Taylor Swift is engaged and I’ve never felt more parasocial over someone.”

Confiding in ChatGPT

If you’re turning to AI chatbots for personal advice, as many teens are these days, you may be experiencing a parasocial relationship. Per Cambridge Dictionary’s announcement, searches for the term also spiked in June following a congressional investigation.

The investigation prompted 44 US attorneys general to write a letter to companies behind popular AI chatbots to warn them to put adequate safety measures in place to protect young people against “chatbot parasocial relationships.”

John Mulaney & Anna Marie Tendler’s Divorce

Comedian John Mulaney unintentionally popularized the term “parasocial” when 2021 reports revealed his split from his wife, Anna Marie Tendler, and the news that he was having a baby with actress Olivia Munn.

After gaining a fanbase through his wife-guy, childless-by-choice persona, fans with very little else to do while stuck in the throes of the pandemic found themselves airing their outrage after his rehab stint, divorce, and new relationship played out online.

Digging Into an Influencer’s Past

Cambridge cites a June incident involving streamer iShowSpeed as another catalyst for making “parasocial” the word of the year.

An active member of Speed’s X Community, “SPEED GANG,” posted a detailed thread about his past relationship that read like a breakup diary despite not being directly involved in any way. The fan self-identified as the streamer’s “number 1 parasocial.” In response, iShowSpeed blocked them.

Let that be a warning to anyone three years deep in an influencer’s tagged photos on Instagram, hoping to find some dirt about them.

Lily Allen’s Breakup Album

There’s no harm in bopping to Lily Allen’s divorce album, West End Girl, and maybe even quietly cursing her ex-husband David Harbour under your breath. But if you, like us, were deep diving into theories about Madeline, dojos, and butt plugs, you may have crossed into parasocial territory.

Before you go, click here to see all the co-star couples you probably forgot dated.