Situationship - meaning and definition
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Definition
An undefined romantic or sexual connection that is more than a friendship but has no agreed label or commitment.
At a glance
- More than a friendship, less defined than a relationship.
- There is no agreed label, exclusivity or plan for the future.
- It can feel freeing for one person and stressful for another.
- Talking about expectations is the usual way to get clarity.
In detail
A situationship sits between casual dating and a relationship. The people involved may see each other regularly, text often and share some intimacy, yet they have not talked about exclusivity or where things are going.
Some people enjoy the lightness of a situationship, while others find the ambiguity stressful, especially if one person wants more. Conversations about expectations, sometimes called defining the relationship, are the usual way out of the grey zone.
In a sentence
- We have been in a situationship since spring and I honestly don't know what we are.
- I'm not looking for another situationship, I want something clear this time.
Where the word comes from
A blend of situation and relationship. It became popular on social media in the late 2010s to describe the grey zone of app-era dating.
Not to be confused with
- FWB
Friends with benefits usually have an explicit agreement to stay casual, whereas a situationship lacks any clear agreement.
Common questions
How is a situationship different from friends with benefits?
Friends with benefits usually have an explicit agreement to keep things casual. In a situationship, nothing has been agreed, which is why it often feels uncertain.
How do you get out of a situationship?
Most people either have a conversation about what each person wants, sometimes called defining the relationship, or decide to step away if their needs are different.