Relationships & dating
Relationship structures, dating behaviours and the vocabulary people use to describe how they connect, commit and part ways.
57 entries
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- BenchingKeeping someone as a backup option by staying in light contact while prioritising other people.
- BreadcrumbingSending occasional, low-effort signs of interest, such as a flirty message or a like, to keep someone hopeful without any intention of committing.
- BreakupThe ending of a romantic relationship, whether by one person's decision or by mutual agreement.
- CohabitationTwo partners living together in a shared home without necessarily being married or in a civil partnership.
- CompersionA feeling of joy at seeing a partner happy with someone else; often described as the opposite of jealousy.
- Conscious uncouplingEnding a relationship deliberately and respectfully, with both partners aiming to minimise blame and harm.
- Cuffing seasonInformal name for the colder months, when many single people are said to look for a partner to share the season with.
- DealbreakerA trait, value or circumstance that would make someone unwilling to continue dating or be in a relationship with a person.
- Defining the relationshipA conversation in which people who are dating clarify what their connection is, such as whether they are exclusive or in a relationship.
- Don't ask, don't tellA non-monogamous agreement in which partners allow outside relationships but prefer not to hear any details about them.
- Emotional affairA close, secretive emotional bond with someone outside a relationship that crosses the partners' agreed boundaries, even without physical contact.
- Ethical non-monogamyAny relationship style in which people have more than one romantic or sexual partner with the knowledge and agreement of everyone involved.
- ExclusiveAn agreement between two people who are dating to stop seeing or pursuing anyone else.
- GhostingEnding contact with someone suddenly and completely, without explanation, by no longer replying to messages or calls.
- Green flagA behaviour or quality that suggests someone is likely to be a healthy, respectful partner.
- Hierarchical polyamoryA form of polyamory in which some relationships are given priority over others, for example a primary partner above secondary partners.
- Honeymoon phaseThe early period of a relationship marked by intense attraction, excitement and a tendency to see a partner in an idealised light.
- InfidelityBreaking the agreed boundaries of a relationship, typically by having a secret sexual or romantic connection with someone else.
- Kitchen-table polyamoryA style of polyamory in which partners and metamours are comfortable spending time together, as if they could all sit around the same kitchen table.
- Living apart togetherA committed couple who choose to keep separate homes rather than live together.
- Long-distance relationshipA romantic relationship in which partners live far apart and cannot see each other in person regularly.
- Love bombingOverwhelming someone with intense affection, attention and gifts early on, often in a way that creates fast dependence or pressure.
- Love languagesA popular framework proposing that people mainly express and receive love in five ways: words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service and physical touch.
- MetamourYour partner's other partner, with whom you are not romantically involved yourself.
- Micro-cheatingSmall behaviours that one partner may see as a breach of trust, such as secret flirty messages or keeping an active dating profile, without anything physical happening.
- MonogamishA relationship that is mostly monogamous but has agreed, limited exceptions, such as occasional outside encounters under specific conditions.
- MonogamyA relationship structure in which two people agree to be romantically and sexually involved only with each other.
- New relationship energyThe heightened excitement, preoccupation and emotional intensity that often come with the early stage of a new relationship.
- Non-monogamyAn umbrella term for any relationship style in which people are not exclusive to one partner.
- Online datingLooking for romantic or sexual partners through websites and mobile apps, usually by creating a profile and matching or messaging with other users.
- Open relationshipA committed relationship in which the partners agree that one or both may have sexual or romantic involvement with other people.
- OrbitingStopping direct contact with someone while continuing to watch or react to their social media.
- Parallel polyamoryA style of polyamory in which each relationship runs largely separately, and metamours have little or no contact with each other.
- Platonic relationshipA close, affectionate relationship without a romantic or sexual component.
- PolyamoryThe practice of, or openness to, having more than one loving, committed relationship at a time, with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.
- PolyculeThe network of people connected through polyamorous relationships, including partners and partners' partners.
- PolyfidelityA polyamorous arrangement in which a fixed group of partners agree to be exclusive within the group.
- PolygamyMarriage to more than one spouse at the same time, usually within a religious, cultural or legal tradition.
- Primary partnerIn non-monogamous relationships, the partner who holds the most central place in someone's life, often through shared housing, finances or long-term plans.
- Queerplatonic relationshipA committed, non-romantic relationship that is more intense or intertwined than a typical friendship.
- ReboundA relationship or casual connection that starts soon after a breakup, often while someone is still getting over their previous partner.
- Red flagA behaviour or sign that suggests a person or relationship may be unhealthy, unsafe or incompatible.
- Relationship anarchyAn approach to relationships that rejects fixed hierarchies and default rules, letting each connection be shaped by the people in it.
- Relationship escalatorThe socially expected sequence of steps a relationship is supposed to follow, such as dating, exclusivity, moving in, marriage and children.
- Serial monogamyA pattern of having a series of monogamous relationships, one after another, rather than several at the same time.
- SituationshipAn undefined romantic or sexual connection that is more than a friendship but has no agreed label or commitment.
- Slow fadeGradually reducing contact and interest until a connection ends, instead of saying so directly.
- Soft launchHinting at a new relationship on social media without fully revealing the partner, for example by posting a hand or a second plate at dinner.
- Solo polyamoryA way of practising polyamory in which a person has meaningful relationships but prioritises independence, often without a live-in or primary partner.
- Speed datingAn organised event where single people have a series of short, timed conversations with potential partners, then indicate who they would like to see again.
- SwingingA form of consensual non-monogamy in which committed couples engage in sexual activity with other people, often together or at social events.
- Talking stageThe early phase of getting to know someone romantically, before dating becomes regular or any commitment is discussed.
- The ickA sudden feeling of aversion toward someone you were attracted to, often triggered by a small or harmless habit.
- ThroupleA romantic relationship involving three people who are all partnered with one another.
- Trickle truthingRevealing the truth about a betrayal, often an affair, bit by bit over time instead of all at once.
- VetoIn some non-monogamous relationships, an agreement that one partner may ask the other to end or not begin another relationship.
- ZombieingWhen someone who previously ghosted reappears and resumes contact as if nothing happened.