ON August 26, American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift took to Instagram to announce her engagement to footballer Travis Kelce — “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married”. The moment created a global frenzy, with millions of fans reacting as though a close friend had shared life-changing news. The emotional outpour led to Cambridge Dictionary declaring ‘parasocial’ as the Word of the Year for 2025.

Among the several words to be added or updated this year, parasocial is defined as “involving or relating to 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”.

Lexicologist Colin McIntosh explains, “Parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist. It’s a great example

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