Cambridge Dictionary's new word of the year is widely associated with online stan culture. The dictionary has selected "parasocial" for its 2025 Word of the Year.
The pick, in part, stemmed from fans' reactions to one of the year's biggest moments in pop culture,Taylor Swift's engagement with football star Travis Kelce. The "Life of a Showgirl" singer's fandom, commonly known as the Swifties, has formed a deep interest inher romantic life, despite not knowing her in real life.
"Millions of fans related toTaylor Swift's confessional lyrics about dating, heartbreak, and desire, leading to what psychologists describe as 'parasocial' bonds with stars," the news release stated.
What does 'parasocial' mean?
Cambridge Dictionary defines "parasocial" as "involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know," according to a news release obtained by USA TODAY.
The word "parasocial" has been around for decades, more specifically since the late 1950s, amid the expansion of television in people's homes and the growing connection with on-screen public figures, fromnews anchors to soap opera stars.
Elizabeth Perse, a professor emeritus of communication at the University of Delaware, told USA TODAY in 2021 that in a parasocial relationship, there isan"illusion of friendship."
Flood warnings and rainstorms didn't stop the stars from putting on their best red carpet glam to celebrate women in Hollywood. On Thursday, Nov. 17, ELLE's Editor-in-Chief, Nina Garcia, hosted its annual Women in Hollywood event, bringing together some of the industry's biggest stars all under the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles roof. The 2025 class included Jessie Buckley, Emily Blunt, Wunmi Mosaku, Teyana Taylor, Jennifer Aniston, Jayme Lawson, Renate Reinsve and Rose Byrne ("Sinners" actress Hailee Steinfeld was also an honoree but skipped out the event because she caught a bug).
Presenters of the night's honors included Adam Sandler, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kerry Washington (subbing in for Kevin Hart), Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coobler, Sebastian Stan, Chloé Zhao and Regina Hall.
But before the heartfelt speeches, there were a lot of red carpet looks to fawn over — scroll through for more moments from the night, including all the fashion.
" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Jennifer Aniston attends ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Nov. 17, 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Adam Sandler speaks onstage onstage during ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration on Nov. 17, 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Honoree Jennifer Aniston, wearing Ralph Lauren, speaks onstage during ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler of "Sinners" speak onstage." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Honorees Jayme Lawson and Wunmi Mosaku speak onstage." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Honoree Teyana Taylor speaks onstage during ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kerry Washington " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, Ralph Lauren and Bvlgari, attend ELLE's Women in Hollywood 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Teyana Taylor" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler, Dwayne Johnson, wearing Ralph Lauren, Benny Safdie, and Emily Blunt, wearing Ralph Lauren, attend ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration on Nov. 17, 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sebastian Stan, wearing Ralph Lauren, and honoree Renate Reinsve are seen onstage during ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sebastian Stan" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Honorees Chase Infiniti and Renate Reinsve" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Honoree Chase Infiniti, wearing Ralph Lauren, speaks onstage during ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Presenter Regina Hall speaks onstage during ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration to introduce honoree Chase Infiniti. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Honoree Jessie Buckley speaks onstage during ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration on Nov. 17, 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Chloé Zhao " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Emily Blunt" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Renate Reinsve" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jessie Buckley, wearing Ralph Lauren, attends ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jessie Buckley" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jim Curtis, Jennifer Aniston, wearing Ralph Lauren, Adam Sandler and Jackie Sandler " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler, Jayme Lawson and Zinzi Coogler " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
From left: Ruth E. Carter, Yvonne Orji, Regina Hall, Niecy Nash-Betts, Jayme Lawson and Thando Thabethe. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ruth E. Carter" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jennifer Aniston and Nina García, wearing Ralph Lauren and Bvlgari, at ELLE's Women in Hollywood Celebration on Nov. 17, 2025. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Dwayne Johnson " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Zinzi Coogler and Ryan Coogler" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Chase Infiniti " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Wunmi Mosaku" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Teyana Taylor" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Wunmi Mosaku" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jessie Buckley" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Emily Blunt" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jackie Sandler and Adam Sandler" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Teyana Taylor " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Rose Byrne" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Lyndsy Fonseca and Rose Byrne" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jennifer Aniston" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jackie Sandler and Adam Sandler" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Ryan Coogler, Jayme Lawson and Zinzi Coogler" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Nina Garcia" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jayme Lawson and Wunmi Mosaku" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Samantha Hanratty " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Yvonne Orji " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jackie Tohn" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Tyler James Williams" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Benny Safdie" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jessica Alba" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Yvonne Orji" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Melissa McCarthy" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Niecy Nash-Betts" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Teyana Taylor " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Georgie Flores" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kali Uchis" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Stacy Martin and Renate Reinsve " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mandy Moore" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Toni Bravo" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jayme Lawson, Yvonne Orji, Ruth E. Carter, and Thando Thabethe" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Selma Blair" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Rita Ora" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Diana Silvers" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sarah Jane Nader and Brooks Nader" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jessica Alba and Nina Garcia, Editor-in-Chief, ELLE, wearing Ralph Lauren and Bvlgari, at ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration presented by Ralph Lauren and Bvlgari with support from evian, Hendrick's Gin and Lucid Motors." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jennifer Aniston, Teyana Taylor, Jessie Buckley, more honored at Elle's Women in Hollywood
Flood warnings and rainstorms didn't stop the stars from putting on their best red carpet glam to celebrate women in Hollywood. On Thursday, Nov. 17, ELLE's Editor-in-Chief, Nina Garcia, hosted its annual Women in Hollywood event, bringing together some of the industry's biggest stars all under the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles roof.
The 2025 class included Jessie Buckley, Emily Blunt, Wunmi Mosaku, Teyana Taylor, Jennifer Aniston, Jayme Lawson, Renate Reinsve and Rose Byrne ("Sinners" actress Hailee Steinfeld was also an honoree but skipped out the event because she caught a bug).
Presenters of the night's honors included Adam Sandler, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kerry Washington (subbing in for Kevin Hart), Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coobler, Sebastian Stan, Chloé Zhao and Regina Hall.
But before the heartfelt speeches, there were a lot of red carpet looks to fawn over — scroll through for more moments from the night, including all the fashion.
Popular words 2025:Dictionary.com names '6-7' as 2025 Word of the Year.
Cambridge Dictionary: Millions are engaged in 'parasocial' relationships
In 2025, the term is more relevant than ever with the rise of content creators and streamers who give fans access to their daily lives. In television, people have shown deep investment in storylines in popular shows like "The Summer I Turned Pretty," according to the news release.
In the unscripted programming space, the contestants from "Love Island USA," thesummer dating series that has become a cultural phenomenon, have gained millions of followers online and launched influencer careers, withfans following their every move and drama post-show.
Cambridge Dictionary also pointed to an uptick in people developing parasocial relationships with artificial intelligence programs likeChatGPT, with some using the tools as their therapist or romantic partner. Some experts haveexpressed concernsabout the growing trend.
"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,'" Cambridge Dictionary's Colin McIntosh said in the news release.
"The language around parasocial phenomena is evolving fast, as technology, society and culture shift and mutate: from celebrities to chatbots, parasocial trends are fascinating for those who are interested in the development of language," McIntosh continued.
Other popular words this year
Last month, Dictionary.com named the popular slang term,"6-7,"as its Word of the Year. "6-7" has an accompanying hand movement – moving the hands up and down, palms up like weighing two objects.
The phrase is popularly used byGen Alpha. While some interpret the phrase to mean "so-so" or "maybe this, maybe that," it is also used as an exclamation, according to a Dictionary.com.
Contributing: Elise Brisco, Greta Cross, USA TODAY
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Cambridge picks 2025 word of the year, tied to Taylor Swift engagement