If you are a millennial Bollywood buff, you’ve grown up on the romantic notion that ‘pyaar ek hi baar hota hai’ and ‘Pehla Pehla Pyar’ which is something that happens once in a lifetime. However, the rules have changed in the dating landscape today. Gen-Z’s casual approach to relationships has brought about a new vocabulary that leaves many millennials scratching their heads.
Take your dating dictionary up the ante as you learn the lingo dominating the world of modern love. Situationship, ghosting-it’s all here, so stay ahead of the game by learning these important terms.
Benching: This means they are keeping you as an option while they explore other relationships. You are not really a priority, but you are not out of the picture completely. It is like sitting on the bench and waiting for your turn to play.
Breadcrumbing: It’s a situation where someone throws out flirtatious yet non-committal signals to keep you interested without ever making a real connection. This is like following a trail of breadcrumbs, only to discover that they lead nowhere.
Ghosting: A situation in which someone suddenly ceases to respond to messages or interactions. It is as if they have just disappeared into thin air, leaving you wondering what has happened.
Situationship: A situationship is a romantic relationship without any clear boundaries or labels. You are not quite a couple, but you are more than friends.
Zombieing: Zombieing is the act when someone who had ghosted you shows up out of nowhere without giving any explanation or apology. They have come back from the dead to pick up things where you left them.
Fleabagging: This is checking your ex’s social media account obsessively; it borders on being obsessed. In short, being a flea stuck to the digital life of your ex.
Caspering: It is friendly ghosting by letting someone down easy and not just disappearing. Just like being let down easily but still getting let down.
Breadwinner: A breadwinner is a person who earns money to support his or her partner, usually in a romantic relationship. It is the main earner, that is, providing for one’s partner’s needs.
Love bombing: It is when someone showers you with excessive attention and affection in the early stages of dating. It is almost like being bombed with love, often to the point of overwhelm.
Slow fade: A slow fade refers to a situation when someone gradually reduces communication and contact with you, often all the way to disappear. It is like seeing the sunset, but a person is slowly fading out of your life.