Parasocial is Cambridge Dictionarys Word of the Year 2025; delulu, slop among new entrants

new delhi: parasocial, defined as involving or relating to a connection that someone feels with a famous person they do not know, has been named the cambridge dictionary's word of the year for 2025, the dictionary announced on tuesday.six thousand new words were also added to the dictionary in 2025, including delulu, slop, skibidi and tradwife.according to cambridge officials, the year saw growing interest in one-sided parasocial relationships that people form with celebrities, influencers and even ai chatbots. when taylor swift and travis kelce announced their engagement, many fans felt a deep connection to the couple despite having never met them. millions also related to swift's confessional lyrics, which psychologists say contribute to “parasocial” bonds.lily allen's “breakup album” west end girl further tapped into public curiosity about her love life. the spontaneity and confessional style of many podcast hosts have also been said to replace real friends, strengthening parasocial connections.the rise of parasocial relationships with ai chatbots saw some users treating chatgpt as a confidant, friend or even romantic partner, leading to emotionally meaningful — and at times troubling — interactions.“parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist. it's a great example of how language changes,” said colin mcintosh of the cambridge dictionary. searches for the word spiked throughout the year, reflecting widespread interest.the term dates back to 1956, when university of chicago sociologists donald horton and richard wohl observed viewers forming “para-social” relationships with television personalities who appeared regularly in their homes.in2025, “chronically online” audiences developed parasocial bonds with youtubers and influencers, closely tracking every twist in their personal lives. the global mania around the summer i turned pretty finale saw fans dividing into “team conrad” and “team jeremiah” while analysing every detail of the series on social media.simone schnall, professor of experimental social psychology at the university of cambridge, said the choice of parasocial reflects profound shifts in fandom, celebrity culture and online interaction. as trust in traditional media declines, people increasingly turn to individual personalities as authorities, sometimes treating them like close friends or even cult figures. “it is completely one-sided,” she said.other words that made an impact in 2025 include slop, pseudonymization, vibey, breathwork, doom spending and memeify.slop refers to extremely low-quality online content, often created by ai.pseudonymization is the process of replacing personal information with meaningless identifiers.skibidi is a humorous slang term used to mean “cool,” “bad,” or even nothing at all.delulu is a playful shortening of “delusional.”tradwife refers to a married woman who stays at home to handle domestic duties and shares this lifestyle online.memeify means to turn something into an internet meme.glazing refers to excessive, insincere praise — often by ai chatbots — to compensate for weak input.vibey describes a place with a good vibe.breathwork refers to controlled breathing techniques intended for mental and physical benefits.doom spending means spending money you cannot afford in order to feel better during times of anxiety or uncertainty.