Archive · 19 Nov 2025
Taylor Swift's Relationships Spark 'Parasocial' Word of the Year
The Cambridge Dictionary chose 'parasocial' as its Word of the Year.
This word describes the feeling of connection people have with celebrities or fictional characters they don't know, like many fans feel towards Taylor Swift.
This feeling has been around since the 1950s but is now more common thanks to social media and AI.
The dictionary also added 'artificial intelligence' to its definition of 'parasocial'.
Cambridge Dictionary names 'parasocial' as Word of the Year
Term refers to relationships between fans and celebrities they don't know
Taylor Swift's engagement to Travis Kelce cited as an example
Word originated in 1956, gaining pop culture traction recently
Dictionary also adds 'artificial intelligence' to its definition
- Who
- Cambridge Dictionary, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce
- What
- Named 'parasocial' as Word of the Year
- When
- 2022
- Where
- Globally
- Why
- To reflect the increasing use of the term in pop culture
Proponents of the Word
Critics of the Word
Relevance
Proponents of the Word
Reflects modern fan-celebrity relationships
Critics of the Word
Overused and lacks substance
- Word
- Parasocial
- Origin
- 1956
- First Used in Pop Culture
- 2022
- Examples
- Taylor Swift's fans, Lily Allen's AI bots
- Added Definition
- Artificial Intelligence
