Glossary
Updated November 9, 2026
Plain definitions of the terms used across AI for Loneliness.
- Loneliness
- Loneliness is the painful feeling that your relationships don't give you the connection you want, whether or not other people are around.
- Social isolation
- Social isolation is having few relationships or little regular contact with other people, measured by the contact itself rather than by how you feel about it.
- Social connection
- Social connection is the sense of belonging and closeness that comes from your relationships and interactions with other people.
- Parasocial relationship
- A parasocial relationship is a one-sided bond a person feels with someone who doesn't know them back, such as a celebrity, a TV host or a fictional character.
- Companionship
- Companionship is the experience of having someone's company: shared time, conversation and the sense that someone is there with you.