WASHINGTON — The Cambridge Dictionary has named “parasocial” as its 2025 Word of the Year, reflecting an overall increase in public interest around one-sided relationships with celebrities, influencers and even artificial intelligence.

The dictionary defines parasocial as a “connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence.”

Editors said lookups spiked several times this year, including after a viral moment in June when YouTube streamer IShowSpeed blocked a fan who called herself his “number 1 parasocial.”

Searches also rose during debates about whether new AI chatbots could encourage unhealthy emotional attachments, and amidst reactions to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s

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