Textlationship - meaning and definition
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Definition
A connection that lives almost entirely in messages: two people text often and may feel close, but rarely or never meet in person.
At a glance
- A connection that exists mostly or only through texting.
- Can feel close even though the two people rarely meet.
- Often starts as a dating-app chat that never becomes a date.
- Suggesting a call or a concrete plan usually clarifies things.
In detail
A textlationship often starts on a dating app, where a promising chat keeps going for weeks without turning into a date. The messages can be frequent and warm, which makes it feel like something real, yet plans to meet keep slipping or never come up.
Some people enjoy this kind of connection for what it is, for example over long distances or during busy periods. Others find it frustrating because it is hard to know whether the chemistry would survive meeting in person. Suggesting a call or a specific plan is a common way to find out where things stand.
In a sentence
- Three months of good-morning texts and no date. I'm in a textlationship.
- I don't want another textlationship, so let's meet this weekend.
Where the word comes from
A blend of text and relationship, used informally on social media and in dating columns from the 2010s.
Not to be confused with
- Long-distance relationship
A long-distance relationship is an agreed relationship across distance; a textlationship is usually undefined and may not involve distance at all.
- Catfishing
Catfishing involves a fake identity; a textlationship can be between two real, honest people.
Common questions
Is a textlationship the same as a situationship?
They overlap. A situationship is any undefined romantic connection. A textlationship is a specific kind where almost everything happens over messages.
How do you move a textlationship offline?
Suggest a specific time and place, or a video call first. If the other person keeps avoiding any plan, that tells you something about what they want.