Taylor Swift inspires Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year due to relationship with fiancé Travis Kelce – and this is what it means

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Taylor Swift influenced Cambridge Dictionary’s choice for word of the year, partly due to her relationship with Travis Kelce.

The dictionary editors have selected ‘parasocial’ as their word of the year for 2025, and they’ve revealed the famous couple that helped define its meaning.

This word describes the feeling of connection someone gets with a celebrity, fictional character, or even an AI, despite not knowing them personally.

It’s been popular online for some time, but really gained prominence in 2025 when it was chosen as word of the year.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment chose ‘parasocial’ as their Word of the Year because people are forming one-sided relationships with figures like celebrities, influencers, and even AI chatbots.

Taylor Swift’s honest songwriting about love, loss, and longing resonated with millions of fans, creating a strong connection that psychologists call ‘parasocial bonds’ – a one-sided relationship with a celebrity.

The news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting engaged resonated with a lot of people, even those who weren’t personal acquaintances, creating a sense of connection for many fans.

The idea of ‘parasocial relationships’ started in 1956, when researchers at the University of Chicago noticed that people often felt like they had genuine connections with TV personalities, similar to the relationships they had with actual friends and family.

This year, Cambridge Dictionary added about 6,000 new words and phrases, including ‘delulu’ (a playful take on ‘delusional’), the nonsensical term ‘skibidi’, and ‘tradwife,’ which refers to a traditional wife.

This year, the word ‘slop’ has gained attention, referring to poor-quality online content, particularly that generated by AI.

To ‘memeify’ something means to transform it – whether it’s an event, a picture, or a person – into a meme. A meme is essentially a funny idea, image, or video that spreads rapidly online.

However, the dictionary’s word of the year reflects our current online world. It highlights ‘parasocial relationships,’ which are one-sided connections people develop with online personalities like influencers, AI chatbots, and even celebrities.

Psychologists have noticed that the growing trend of one-way relationships with celebrities and fictional characters is changing how people experience fandom and how celebrities are perceived.

According to Colin McIntosh, a representative from Cambridge Dictionary, the term ‘parasocial’ perfectly reflects the current cultural moment of 2025 and demonstrates how language evolves over time.

What used to be a concept discussed mainly by academics is now widely known. Millions of people have these one-sided relationships with public figures, and even more are curious about why they’re becoming so common.

Recent data shows a growing interest in the word “parasocial,” with more and more people looking it up on the Cambridge Dictionary website. The way we talk about these one-sided relationships is changing quickly, driven by developments in technology, society, and culture. This trend, which applies to everything from celebrities to AI chatbots, is captivating those who study how language develops.

The idea of ‘parasocial relationships’ started in 1956, when researchers at the University of Chicago noticed that people often feel like they have a genuine connection with TV personalities, similar to the bonds they share with actual friends and family.

Television’s quick growth meant people saw actors’ faces in their homes constantly, turning them into familiar figures in everyday life.

Simone Schnall, a psychology professor at the University of Cambridge, praised ‘parasocial’ as an excellent selection for word of the year.

She explained that one-sided relationships with celebrities and other public figures – often called parasocial relationships – are changing how fans connect with them, and now, with the help of AI, how people interact online in general.

We’re now seeing a lot of people develop one-sided, intense connections with online influencers. This can create a false sense of intimacy, trust, and even strong loyalty, as if they truly know these public figures.

However, this dynamic is very unbalanced. With declining trust in traditional news sources, people increasingly look to individual personalities for information. After spending a lot of time following these influencers, they often form one-sided relationships, feeling close to them as if they were friends, family, or even leaders they deeply admire. A large following can create the impression of trustworthiness, even if it’s not warranted.

She explained that while it’s normal to feel connected to stars like Taylor Swift – someone incredibly talented – this connection can sometimes go too far. Fans might overanalyze her songs, obsess over their meanings, and get deeply involved in online debates about what those meanings say about both the artist and themselves.

The way people interact with AI is changing, and it’s becoming common for individuals to treat tools like ChatGPT as companions. Some users even offer encouragement to the AI or use it as a stand-in for emotional support, similar to therapy.

This situation feels like a false connection, fueled by everyone agreeing with each other, and young people are especially vulnerable to it.

Oh my gosh, remember when Cambridge Dictionary picked ‘manifest’ as their word of the year? It was so perfect, all about putting your dreams out there! And then last year, it was ‘brat,’ which, honestly, was amazing because of Charli XCX’s album – I was obsessed! This year’s was brilliant too, ‘hallucinate,’ because it perfectly described what those crazy AI chatbots were doing – just making stuff up! It’s like, the Dictionary gets me, you know? They pick the words that are actually happening in my world!

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2025-11-19 12:36