In the fast-paced world of modern dating, keeping up with the latest vocabulary can be challenging. As the dating landscape continues to shift and more people turn to social media or dating apps, we see new terms and phrases being used to describe various aspects of romantic relationships. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, here are some of the dating words and phrases you might hear or see.
1. situationship
A situationship is when two people are romantically involved, but it’s not very clear or committed. It’s not just casual dating, but it’s also not a serious, exclusive relationship.
“After months of undefined feelings and unclear expectations, Sarah realised she was stuck in a situationship with Ravi, unsure of what would happen next.”
2. red flag/ green flag/ beige flag
In relationships, these symbols are used metaphorically when describing a significant other. A red flag is like a warning or a possible issue, a green flag shows positive aspects, and a beige flag suggests something that might not be inherently problematic but is often used to describe a character trait that is unusual or unoriginal.
“Sarah noticed a red flag when Tom avoided introducing her to his friends, but the fact that he always brought her breakfast every morning was a green flag. He always talked when they watched films together and Sarah found this to be a beige flag.”
3. sliding into DMs
This phrase describes the act of sending a direct message, often on social media, to someone you’re interested in romantically or socially.
“After weeks of putting it off, Lucas mustered the courage to slide into Yasmin’s Instagram DMs and start a conversation.”
4. love bombing
Love bombing is when someone shows another person intense affection and attention, usually at the start of a relationship, with the aim of gaining control or manipulating that person.
“At the beginning of their relationship, Nina overwhelmed Marco with love bombing, showering her with compliments and gifts to gain her affection.”
5. orbiting
Orbiting means staying connected with someone on social media, liking their posts, and staying somewhat involved. However, it involves avoiding direct communication with them.
“Despite their breakup, Kai couldn’t help but continue orbiting around Liam’s social media profiles, liking his posts and keeping tabs on his life.”
6. breadcrumbing
Breadcrumbing is when you send occasional, playful or flirtatious messages to keep someone interested, but without any plans to commit.
“We realised that Tom was breadcrumbing her when he would send occasional flirty messages but never committed to making plans.”
7. pocketing
Pocketing occurs when someone keeps their partner a secret from friends and family, indicating a lack of commitment.
“Suspecting that he was pocketing her, Emily confronted Jake about his reluctance to introduce her to his friends.”
8. ghosting
Ghosting is when someone suddenly cuts off all communication without explanation, typically in the context of a relationship.
“Mari was devastated that Aaliyah ghosted her after just one date.”
9. soft launch/ hard launch
These are terms borrowed from the business world, used to describe different approaches to introducing a romantic relationship to the public or to a wider circle of friends and family.
A soft launch is used to descibe the act of subtly including a new partner in a post, photo or video shared online. This is a tactic often used to announce a change in relationship status without going into detail about a new partner.
On the other hand, a hard launch is a more formal and public announcement of a relationship.
“We arranged to hard launch our relationship at Atik’s birthday party.”
“Lacie and Steve soft launched their relationship on social media when they both shared a picture of the restaurant they were visting. We weren’t completely sure if they were together but they did tag each other in the photo.”
10. rizz
As a shortened form of charisma, rizz is used to describe style, charm or attractiveness. It’s sometimes used to refer to attracting a romantic partner. Each year, dictionaries select their Word of the Year. In 2023, Oxford University Press announced that this was their Word of the Year after a head-to-head competition including eight popular words.
“I really liked her. Our date was amazing and she had a lot of rizz.”
How many of these words and phrases are new to you? Let us know in the comments!
Check out this blog post to find other useful dating vocabulary or find our 10 favourite Valentine’s Day idioms here. For other words to look out for in 2024, read this blog post.
Well they are all kind of methaphoric so it isn´t that difficult to inphere the meaning
So educative!. Thanks