The 2025 Word of the Year Has Arrived and Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Had Something to Do With It

There’s really no denying Taylor Swift’s cultural pull at this point. Whether she’s influencing fashion trends, sending a random accessory into sellout mode or getting a whole new wave of women invested in football thanks to her NFL fiancé, Travis Kelce—her impact is everywhere. And now, apparently, she can add inspiring a dictionary’s word of the year to her list of accomplishments.

Cambridge Dictionary just announced its 2025 Word of the Year, and the choice was partly influenced by Taylor’s lyrics and her headline-making engagement to Travis back in August. So, what’s the word? Parasocial.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, the adjective means “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.”

Of course, Taylor and Travis aren’t the only forces behind the pick. Cambridge also noted that conversations around social media, artificial intelligence and how platforms from Meta to OpenAI might impact kids and mental health were major factors in the selection. Still, the couple’s engagement definitely helped push the word into the spotlight.

"Global coverage of the way in which Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce caused lookups of parasocial to surge as the media dissected fans’ reactions," the outlet shared. "Posts by fans say 'I’m not being parasocial about it' and talk about 'a Swiftie being parasocial for ten minutes straight.'"

A news release obtained by People also highlighted the emotional connection many fans feel with Taylor’s music, stating, "Millions of fans related to Taylor Swift’s confessional lyrics about dating, heartbreak and desire, leading to what psychologists describe as 'parasocial' bonds with stars."

The release added, "When Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, many fans felt a deep connection to the singer and American footballer, even though most had never met them."

So yes, Taylor Swift is now influencing language itself. At this point, is anyone surprised?

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