The Essential Guide to Modern Love Slang

online dating slang

Technology continues to reshape how we communicate. The language of love has evolved. Modern love and dating slang terms can be challenging to grasp and leave us feeling out of touch when they appear. But fear no more because here’s your essential guide to modern love slang.

Communication Strategies for Modern Relationships

Effective communication is a cornerstone for cultivating and sustaining healthy relationships in the modern world. Several vital strategies contribute to the success of interpersonal connections. First and foremost, active listening. This means undivided attention, no interruptions, and reflecting on what has been expressed to ensure a mutual understanding between people. 

Expressing oneself clearly is equally crucial. Honesty and transparency about thoughts and feelings form the basis for authentic communication. Using “I” statements instead of accusatory language creates an environment where everyone’s perspective is valued. 

Empathy further enriches communication as people feel more comfort and understanding when it comes to comprehending the feelings and viewpoints of others. Validating emotions and demonstrating support, even in disagreement, strengthens bonds. 

The context and environment in which communication occurs also significantly impact its effectiveness. Choosing the right time and place for important conversations ensures that discussions unfold in an atmosphere conducive to understanding and resolution. 

Adapting communication styles to the digital space takes mindfulness of tone in text-based exchanges and awareness of non-verbal cues unique to online interactions. Everyone has at least one online miscommunication experience under their belt.

By integrating these strategies, people can best navigate conflicts collaboratively, provide constructive feedback, and foster an environment where cultural differences are respected. In essence, effective communication is a dynamic process that demands ongoing effort, practice, and a shared commitment to mutual understanding within relationships.

Keeping these strategies in mind is healthy when digesting this essential guide to modern love slang terms. Many of the terms are rife with toxicity and are concerning reminders that today’s dating world has some awful love-hunters. But by grasping these terms we can better prepare ourselves to face the love moves of others. The youth online give everyone else a lot to learn.

Benching

Also known as being a second-stringer, someone on the bench is waiting for you to break up with your significant other. 

On the other hand, benching is when you start dating someone you like but aren’t crazy about, so you put them on ‘the bench’. You don’t know whether to keep dating them or dump them and move on to the next one, so you date around to see what else is out there, placing them in a mental ‘maybe’ folder.

Benching leaves potential partners feeling less than about themselves. If you have a bench of potential lovers, take this as a sign to emotionally mature and tell people how you really feel. If you believe you’re on someone’s bench, reflect on whether that is the sort of treatment you are okay with receiving. 

Breadcrumbing

When your crush has no intention of taking things further but likes the attention, they’ll flirt and message just enough to keep you interested. This is called breadcrumbing. 

Breadcrumbing is detrimental to relationships as it lacks clarity and consistency. This behaviour involves sporadic and minimalwell communication, causing confusion, emotional distress, and an undermining of trust. 

People who experience breadcrumbing invest time and energy into a relationship without a genuine commitment, preventing closure and perpetuating unfair power dynamics. This breakdown in open communication and the resulting emotional turmoil makes breadcrumbing harmful. 

Like many of these terms, it serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritising relationships built on honesty, consistency, and mutual respect.

Catch and Release

To catch and release is to pursue someone until it becomes apparent that they want you, only to then drop it and move on.

It can also refer to the practice of dating or seeing someone but then not getting emotionally attached so they can pursue other people, ‘catching and releasing’ them back into the dating pool.

Catch and release in dating is bad for a few reasons. First, it can upset the person who was let go because they invested time and emotions, but the other person wasn’t serious. 

Second, it makes it hard for people to trust the dating process, making them feel unsure and closed off in future relationships. 

Lastly, catch and release creates a pattern of short-lived connections, stopping meaningful and lasting relationships from developing. 

Overall, it leads to a lack of real connection, feeling emotionally drained, and a weakened trust in the dating world.

Cobwebbing

Cobwebbing wants you to stop holding on to past relationships. The term refers to dusting off cobwebs so you can start fresh with someone new. Dwelling on past connections inhibits your ability to form new ones and continue your finding-the-one journey. 

In other spider-related love language news, spider webbing is when someone keeps you trapped in a toxic relationship with an elaborate web of deceit and manipulation.

These terms are quite different, but both remind us to remain transparent in our intentions and sense of self. Take pride in your individuality and stay strong in the face of negativity, especially when it comes to emotionally and personally vulnerable life situations, such as dating in the modern world.

Cuffing

Getting cuffed means making your relationship exclusive or official. While it is obviously something that happens all year round, there’s a strange phenomenon where we all seem to lean into serious relationships and avoid situationships (more on that term below) during the cooler months.

Just because cuffing is seasonally motivated sometimes, it’s not always an indicator of a relationship’s longevity. Sure, you might want someone to keep you warm during winter, but you could also genuinely fall in love and create a long-lasting relationship together.

Dry dating

Dry dating is dating only while sober, and it’s a growing trend among young people. By catching a buzz on the other person and not the drink, you’re said to form stronger connections.

Dry dating emphasises the emotional connection and shared values over fleeting experiences fuelled by alcohol. It asks us to confront alcohol and wonder if a bond is ever so strong if it takes liquid courage to spark it.

DTR

DTR means to define the relationship. It’s a term common in chat rooms and online spaces, but above all, it implies a critical point in a relationship where one person wants clear answers from the other.

During a DTR, partners openly communicate their feelings, intentions, and desires, addressing exclusivity, commitment, and future goals. 

The DTR conversation can bring a sense of security and understanding, laying the foundation for a healthier and more intentional connection.

Firedooring

Firedooring is when one person makes all the effort in a relationship. 

The other person, in turn, takes advantage of the arrangement often because they’re incapable of being on their own. For example, you might be the one who always makes plans, and your potential partner only contacts you when they have no one else to go out with.

Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or make them question their own perception, memory, or sanity. 

This is often done through a series of manipulative tactics, such as denying the occurrence of certain events, trivialising the other person’s feelings, or presenting false information with the intent to make the victim doubt their own reality. 

The term “gaslighting” originates from the play and film “Gas Light,” where a character manipulates their partner by dimming the gas lights and then denies that the lights are flickering when questioned. 

Gaslighting is an abusive behaviour that can lead to confusion, self-doubt, and emotional distress in the targeted individual. Recognising and addressing gaslighting is crucial for maintaining mental and emotional well-being in interpersonal relationships.

Ghosting

Ghosting refers to the sudden and unexplained end of communication by one person in a relationship, often in the context of dating or friendships. This behaviour involves abruptly cutting off all contact with no explanation, leaving the other party in a state of uncertainty and confusion. 

The term is commonly used in the digital age, where people may stop responding to messages, calls, or any form of communication, effectively disappearing from the other person’s life. 

Ghosting can be emotionally distressing for the person who is “ghosted,” as it lacks closure and leaves them with unanswered questions about the status of the relationship. 

It is considered a passive and often hurtful way of ending a connection without the courtesy of a clear explanation or communication.

Groundhogging

Groundhogging refers to the idea that people are going for the same type of person over and over again whilst expecting different results. 

People pick out someone who fits their ideal type and date them but end up feeling underwhelmed.

This phenomenon prompts many questions and lots of self-reflection. If you find yourself failing with the same type each time, consider if there’s a type of person you’re attracted to but isn’t really good for you. 

You might also ask yourself how open you are to accepting others for how they really are versus your idea of them, and if you can communicate your feelings clearly. 

Haunting

Ghosting has been a part of the modern dating dictionary for years. But haunting is new and the opposite of improved. The term refers to when someone from your romantic past lingers in your digital present by occasionally watching stories or liking posts. If you think you’re experiencing this, it might be time to stop letting someone be gone but not forgotten.

Kitten Fishing

Kitten Fishing is catfishing’s younger sister. It involves adjusting small personal details about your life or self so you seem better on dating apps, whatever better means here. 

Where catfishing is fabricating an entirely new persona, kitten fishing is where people catfish their hobbies, for example, in order to be more appealing to the dating pool. 

Another key term in this fish category is woke fishing, where someone makes themselves out to be more politically left-leaning and socially conscious than they actually are. 

Love bombing

Love bombing is when someone overwhelms another person with excessive affection and attention to quickly establish a deep emotional connection. However, this behaviour is often insincere and can be a manipulative tactic to control or exploit the targeted individual. It may lead to dependency and confusion over time, making it crucial to recognise and establish healthy boundaries in relationships.

Rizz

Rizz actually comes from the word charisma. The term refers to the ability someone has to find a partner and charm someone. 

Situationship

A situationship is like a romantic connection but without clear labels or commitments. People in a situationship might share feelings and spend time together, but the relationship doesn’t have a clear definition or commitment. 

It’s not a traditional here-is-my-partner situation, and there’s often uncertainty about where the relationship is headed. Situationships can be a bit unclear and don’t follow the typical rules of a formal relationship.

Soft launch

In dating, a “soft launch” typically refers to a more gradual or low-key introduction of a new romantic relationship to one’s social circle or public life. 

Unlike a grand or formal announcement, a soft launch involves a subtler approach to making a relationship known to others. This may include selectively sharing information about the relationship, introducing the partner to a few close friends, or gradually integrating them into social events. 

A soft launch allows people to navigate the early stages of a relationship with a bit more privacy and discretion before fully integrating their partner into their broader social network.

Stashing

Stashing occurs when someone enjoys spending time with you privately but avoids acknowledging the relationship publicly. If your partner hasn’t introduced you to their friends or family and has kept the relationship under wraps, it could be a sign of stashing. 

The reasons behind this behaviour vary; your partner might be genuinely insecure about involving you in their close circles, or they could be dating someone else, maintaining flexibility in their options, or not considering you as a serious partner. 

Regardless of the motive, it’s crucial to initiate an honest conversation promptly. Stashing can erode trust and have a detrimental impact on self-esteem, affecting not only the current relationship but also future connections.