"Capturing the zeitgeist of 2025" This term is the word of the year according to Cambridge Dictionary

More than just a fan feeling: millions of people feel as close to celebrities or even an AI as if they were friends. The euphemism for this is now the word of the year.

DPA

18.11.2025, 14:45

18.11.2025, 15:00

dpa

Do you know the feeling? You read a book, watch a movie, listen to a song - and feel a connection to the main character or content? It can stop there - but it doesn't have to. The urge may arise to express this bond on the internet or social media, or even to make contact. A one-sided "parasocial" relationship develops with people you don't even know.

The renowned Cambridge Dictionary has now named "parasocial" as its word of the year. It can now also be used to describe relationships that someone has built up with an artificial intelligence (AI) or with an internet personality who usually never finds out who exactly is worshipping them.

"The rise of parasocial relationships has redefined fan culture, celebrity and - with AI - the way ordinary people interact online," said Simone Schnall, Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at Cambridge University, according to the press release. This leads to a feeling of knowing and trusting the person with whom you are building such a bond. "The relationship is completely one-sided."

The term was introduced decades ago

According to the university, the term dates back to 1956. Back then, sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl observed how television viewers formed parasocial relationships with on-screen personalities. Relationships that resembled those with real family members or friends.

"'Parasocial' captures the zeitgeist of 2025," said Colin McIntosh of the Cambridge Dictionary. "It's a great example of how language is changing." The once academic term has entered the mainstream. "Millions of people are involved in parasocial relationships," he said.