(MENAFN) The Cambridge Dictionary has selected "parasocial" as its 2025 word of the year, a term describing the sense of connection individuals experience toward someone they have never actually met.

This choice highlights the expanding public curiosity about these one-directional emotional bonds that people develop with celebrities, influencers, and even AI-based chat programs.

Originally introduced by sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, the concept captured their observations of television audiences forming “parasocial” attachments to on-screen figures, relationships that mirrored the emotional closeness they felt with relatives or companions.

The dictionary illustrated this phenomenon through the high-profile engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, noting that countless admirers felt deeply linked to the pair despite having no personal interaction with them.

According to a statement released on Tuesday, “The emergence of parasocial relationships with AI bots saw people treat ChatGPT as a confidant, friend, or even romantic partner,” reflecting how digital tools have intensified the blurring of intimacy and imagination.

The dictionary emphasized that the growing prevalence of such relationships has reshaped ideas of fandom, public personas, and—through artificial intelligence—the ways everyday individuals navigate online communication.

“Millions of people are engaged in parasocial relationships; many more are simply intrigued by their rise. The data reflects that, with the Cambridge Dictionary website seeing spikes in lookups for ‘parasocial,’” the statement added.

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