Cambridge Dictionary recently announced its Word of the Year, with it having a connection to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. The word “parasocial” earned the title, with the dictionary noting that its media usage increased after the famous couple’s engagement news. The duo took to social media on August 26, 2025, to announce their engagement through a dreamy proposal post.
How Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are responsible for Word of the Year
Cambridge recently awarded “parasocial” as the Word of the Year. For those unfamiliar, the term refers to a connection that one feels between them and a stranger, celebrity, or fictional character from books, films, or series.
The dictionary further cited the reason why this particular word earned the recognition, saying, “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. Posts by fans say, ‘I’m not being parasocial about it,’ and talk about ‘a Swiftie being parasocial for 10 minutes straight.”
Though the word existed since the 1950s, it witnessed a massive surge in searches recently following Kelce and Swift’s engagement. Colin McIntosh, Cambridge Dictionary’s Chief Editor, addressed the sudden spike in parasocial searches in a statement.
He said, “Parasocial stood out in 2025 for several reasons. Public interest in the term increased massively this year, as we can see from our data: the number of searches for it in the Cambridge Dictionary as well as on Google spiked on several occasions.”
Reflecting on the shift of the term from its use in academics to now in day-to-day life, he further explained, “It’s interesting from a language point of view because it has made the transition from an academic term to one used by ordinary people in their social media posts. And it also captures the zeitgeist of 2025, as the public’s fascination with celebrities and their lifestyles continues to reach new heights.”
Swift and Kelce took to Instagram jointly to announce their engagement in August 2025. Their dreamy proposal post garnered massive attention, gaining over 37 million likes. Its caption read, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” Fans further massively discussed their relationship milestone on various social media platforms.
Originally reported by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
