If you’re here looking for Gen Z relationship terms, I believe I know you! Nearing 30, freshly single after your third long-term relationship didn’t pan out. Your love language still counts mixtapes and handwritten letters. Mentally, you’re stuck in the era of deleting couple photos from Facebook as a post-breakup cleanse.
Then, last night, your date casually said, “I’m only interested in freckling,” and suddenly, you felt outdated. Admittedly, that’s the story of all millennials in the Gen Z dating pool. Unlike us, they’ve broken free from the black and whites of romantic relationships.
Gen Z interprets relationships as a fluid space, something we millennials are too hesitant to navigate. And this radical shift wouldn’t be possible without a vocabulary to match.
So, if your lower back stops aching for a second, let’s learn how to love and communicate like a Gen Zer.
50 Dating And Relationship Terms Used By Gen Z
This generation is independent, individualistic, and unapologetically vocal about their needs. They’ll lay out the pressing issues upfront to future-proof a relationship—or bench multiple partners for as long as they are open to exploring.
Wait, I can see I’m already losing you. Trust me, it’s not French (unless, of course, you speak French). To understand the new lexicon, you just need to adapt to a more flexible, younger mindset. As a good first step, let’s walk you through a hefty list of Gen Z slang and meanings:
1. Benching
Benching is the act of holding someone back with the promise of a romantic future but never fully committing. You keep postponing the meetups until the more competitive prospects in your life fail you.
2. Dry dating
Sometimes we need a drink or five to get a grip on the first-date jitters. Well, Gen Zers these days prioritize a real connection instead of depending on liquid courage. Dry dating is the conscious choice of skipping alcohol on a date to stay fully present for the experience.
3. Breadcrumbing
The one on the receiving end of benching is being breadcrumbed. Bits and pieces of affection, inconsistent attention—breadcrumbers will do the bare minimum to keep their prey hooked. And right when they are about to move on, there will be a late-night text, “Hey, I was thinking about you!”
4. Bae
It’s bae in case you are wondering ‘what do Gen Z call their partner affectionately?’. ‘Before anyone else’ is a sweet term of endearment, mainstreamed by both Gen Z and millennials. It could be the guy you are crushing on, or your girlfriend or SO.
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5. Future-proofing
You have to admire Gen Zers’ no-nonsense attitude toward dating. To avoid conflicts down the road, they would lay all the cards on the table in the very beginning. And that’s future-proofing—discussing emotional boundaries, deal breakers, lifestyle compatibility, and other potential relationship challenges.
6. Catch feels
It’s one of the slang words for falling in love especially when you were least expecting it. If you care more about a casual fling than you should, or you start to picture a friend in romantic scenarios, you sure have caught feelings.
7. Gatsbying
They have fabricated a verb inspired by the stunts Mr Jay Gatsby pulled to get on Daisy’s radar. While Gatsby’s move was to host extravagant parties to impress a young woman, today, it has come down to posting attention-grabbing content on social media.
8. ILY
Even saying I love you in Gen Z style has a different flair. They have adapted a text-friendly, short-and-cute acronym to express affection. Why waste words when the world is routing for shortcuts?
9. Sneaky link
Among obscure Gen Z dating terms, sneaky link refers to a secret lover. Rendezvous with this person is often kept low-key for obvious reasons. After all, you don’t want to draw attention to a no-strings-attached partner.
10. Throuple
Throuple is basically a threesome—except not a one-night affair or purely sexual. This romantic dynamic involves three equal partners in love. While it’s a little above the old-fashioned binaries, throuple is very Gen Z—fluid and unconventional. Respect for boundaries and clarity in expectations are the glue holding this three-way bond together.
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11. Pink flag
Pink flags aren’t as alarming as red flags. But you storm the warning signs anyway because you are in love. Or perhaps your partner has redeeming qualities that are worth fighting for.
12. Micro-cheating
Micro-cheating is the grey area we talked about earlier. It doesn’t refer to actively having an affair. But certain actions, very subtle ones, cross the thin line of unquestionable loyalty. For instance,
- Harmless flirting
- Keeping the dating apps on your phone ‘just in case’
- Religiously liking someone’s pictures
13. DTR
Not sure whether you are lovers or friends with benefits? Then it’s time for a quick DTR conversation, especially if any one of you feels like you are unofficially dating. Define the relationship for your own peace of mind!
14. Hardballing
Hardballing in Gen Z lexicon means conveying exactly what you want from a partner. This way you can filter right-minded people who effortlessly fit in your relationship goals and boundaries.
15. Fake ups
Fake breakup, fake up—tamato, tomato! This temporary separation is a cleverly chalked-out strategy with underlying motives. Perhaps this person is trying to teach their partner a lesson for taking them for granted. Maybe they need the drama to spike social media engagement or just want to draw a little sympathy.
16. Ship
This Gen Z slang for love is used in a context when you root for two people to end up as a couple. Didn’t we all ship for Selena Gomez and Charlie Puth?
17. Love bombing
Love bombing refers to when your partner acts overly affectionate in the initial stages of the relationship in order to have an emotional hold on you later. They will smother you with lovey-dovey texts and surprise gifts. Grand gestures and confessions of feelings will be a bit over the top. Anytime it starts to feel a little too good to be true, know that you are being played.
18. DINK
DINK is a witty acronym for ‘dual income, no kids’. We are talking about the new-age couples who would much rather embrace their freedom and climb steadily up the career ladder than get tied down. A cat, maybe—but certainly no kids!
19. Slide into DMs
When you have a mild to moderate crush on a person, your next move is to send them a direct message. Usually, the intention is to woo them, often breaking the ice with a flattering one-liner.
20. Fexting
Uncomfortable with confrontation? Want to avoid the drama in a public place? Don’t like it when your voice goes up a few decibels? Quit overthinking and fext it out. That’s fighting via texting—a portmanteau, reportedly coined by former First Lady Jill Biden.
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21. Snack
Gen Z compliments are truly next level. Don’t be mad if someone calls you a snack. It’s actually a Gen Z equivalent of finding someone hot.
22. Next on deck
You are with someone, but you know in your guts, this isn’t the endgame. Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, you keep the lines of communication open with another prospective partner. So, that person is next on the deck in case the current relationship goes down in flames.
23. Talking stage
According to Gen Z dating terms, the talking stage is that early phase of a budding relationship when you are getting to know each other. It covers meaningful conversations and late-night texting—in short, more flirting, and less fighting.
24. Delusionship
You must have been a popular kid if you never had even one imaginary partner in your teens. The rest of us had traded from one delusionship to another— a deep romantic connection with someone but all in our head. It’s a fantasy and always one-sided!
25. Rizz
It’s a Gen Z slang for playing the charm. You have the rizz if you are a confident, smooth talker who can flirt effortlessly and cast a romantic spell on anyone.
26. Thirst trap
Selfies in seductive angles, casual yet perfect ‘just woke up like this’ shots, pump pictures from the gym—do you see where I am going with this? A thirst trap is a carefully captured provocative picture or video on social media to lure in compliments and flirty responses.
27. Affordating
Imagine you go all out on the first date with flowers and expensive wine only to discover they are a big bore. It stings, right? A Gen Z would rather settle for a budget-friendly date. Coffee shops, picnic in the park, game night at home—all great choices for affordating.
28. Cuffing season
Cuffing season sets in the fall and lasts till Valentine’s Day. People tend to seek warmth and companionship during this time of the year. Because let’s face it, who wants to weather through the holiday season alone? Better get cuffed with another soul to cuddle with and share a pumpkin spice latte.
29. Stonewalling
In the face of conflict, some people completely withdraw themselves from the situation. They will push the other person away with silent treatment. From the receiver’s perspective, it should feel like throwing stones at a wall, getting nothing in reciprocation.
30. Situationship
Gen Z relationship terms actually help you dwell on vague territory. Say, you are not dating officially but you like each other. You are exploring physical compatibility but emotionally, you are not strong enough to commit. That’s the very definition of being in a situationship—a no-label, going-with-the-flow connection between two people.
31. Fleabagging
Do you ever feel like a magnet that only attracts toxic relationships? Despite knowing it will end in heartbreak, you still fall into the same spiral. Dating a series of people who are evidently wrong choices for you is fleabagging.
32. Freckling
Freckling refers to your typical summer romance. It’s more lighthearted and fleeting like the beach season. If both partners are not on the same page, one might get freckled before fall.
33. Slow fade
It’s remarkable how Gen Z covers such a large spectrum of human behavior. Say you have decided to ghost someone. But you are too much of a people-pleaser to cut all contacts abruptly and be the bad guy in their dictionary. So, you ease them out slowly. From ten texts a day, slow fade to five, then gradually down to zero.
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34. Simping
Simping is an obsessive behavior when a person can go to any length for their object of affection. The end goal is to make their crush like them back. Here’s what simping looks like:
- Always be the first one to text
- Making yourself available for them no matter what
- Always giving without the effort being reciprocated
- Total disregard for the red flags
35. Orbiting
Orbiting implies lingering on someone’s social media after breaking up with them or quitting all other forms of communication. It involves watching their stories silently, liking posts, but never replying to messages.
36. Loud looking
Think about all the unnecessary drama you could skip if you could just be upfront about your romantic needs. When others are aware you are looking for a fling, you will only attract people with similar desires. By officially coining the term ‘loud-looking’, Tinder has normalized sharing specific dating goals on your bio.
37. Love haze
You know how you look at your boyfriend through the rose-tinted glasses for the first few months? That’s love haze. An intense infatuation takes over your reasoning so you can barely recognize a walking, talking red flag.
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38. Cushioning
Another fancy name for benching—in this case, a person keeps their options open despite being committed. They juggle multiple flings so one can be used as a cushion to soften the blow after the breakup.
39. Yap-trapping
Yap-trapping describes a situation where one person keeps talking relentlessly on a date. The other is left with no choice but to zone out or start yawning. Nothing kills a date night like these mind-numbing monologues.
40. Punching
In case you are wondering, there’s a term for dating someone better looking. ‘Punching above your weight’ is a British slang that indicates going out with someone out of your league in terms of physical appearance.
41. Ick
Having the ick toward someone suggests a feeling of disgust or an instant turn-off for a trivial reason. You could get triggered by the cringy baby talk. Chances are seeing them talk with food in their mouth will repulse you to the core.
42. Zombieing
Talking about bizarre Gen Z dating terms that confuse the millennials, let’s decode zombieing. It’s when a person suddenly pops up in your life after previously ghosting you—almost like rising from the dead!
43. Textlationship
If the primary and only mode of communication in a relationship is text messages, it’s a textlationship.
44. ENM
ENM stands for ethical nonmonogamy which allows both partners to have multiple romantic and sexual connections. In open relationships, conflict and jealousy take a back seat. That’s obvious when the dating rules prioritize full consent, honest communication, and mutual respect.
45. Soft launch
Want to introduce your partner to the world but not sure you are ready yet? Master the art of soft launching your relationship. The drill is pretty simple: post a series of fuzzy, or mysterious couple photos without revealing their face.
46. Hard launch
Once over with the hush-hush phase, it’s time for a bold move. Through a hard launch, you make an official debut as a couple on social media. Flaunt your partner proudly—share couple photos, tag them on your posts, or perhaps, change the relationship status. No more mysteries!
47. Kitten fishing
Creating a skewed online presence in order to come off as more attractive is kitten fishing. Okay, maybe not entirely fake or misstating every detail. But heavily-filtered images or claiming to like seemingly cool things are fair game in kitten fishing.
48. Pocketing
Flag it as a toxic trait if your partner refuses to introduce you to their family or friends, let alone post pictures on social media. They are trying to pocket the relationship from public attention for whatever reason maybe.
49. Daterview
“What’s your stance on immigration laws?” or, “What is your attachment style?”—if your date shoots questions like a job recruiter, almost immediately the romantic vibe shifts into interview mode. That’s what Gen Zers call a daterview.
50. Cloaking
If you have ever been ghosted, imagine a more intense version of it. In case of cloaking, the ghost will abruptly block you out from every means of communication—both digital and real world. And the worst part? They will poof into thin air without offering you so much of a closure.
Now, nobody can beat you in a pop quiz on Gen Z relationship terms. You are ready to own the room instead of taking the wall with a drink in hand.
Let’s face it—the world is now pacing faster than ever. If we can’t be a sport to embrace the change, where does that leave us? So, keep your curiosity cap on, and soon enough, you’ll be walking and talking like a Gen Zer.
