Romantic Stages & Status: English Vocabulary List

the early phase of interaction with someone, often involving texting, flirting, or casual meetups, before a relationship becomes official

"The talking stage lasted two weeks."

"The talking stage lasted two weeks and neither of them wanted to define the relationship yet."

in a romantic relationship; coupled with a partner, often in an affectionate or cozy way

"They are boo'd up."

"She's been boo'd up with her boyfriend since they met at university last year."

a public reveal of a romantic relationship, typically through posting couple photos or other clear evidence online

"They hard launched their relationship on Instagram."

"They hard launched their relationship on Instagram with a photo of them kissing at sunset."

a subtle or indirect reveal of a romantic relationship, usually by posting subtle hints without showing the partner directly

"The soft launch hinted at the romance."

"The soft launch hinted at the romance with a blurry photo of two shadows holding hands."

to receive no romantic or sexual attention in return

"He tried to flirt but got no play."

"The shy guy got no play at the club because he was too nervous to talk to any girls."

a relationship where one or both people hold unrealistic or overly idealistic beliefs about it

"The fan had a delusionship with the actor."

"The fan had a delusionship with the actor and believed they had a real connection through his Instagram posts."

the person one used to be married to or have a relationship with

"My ex called me."

"She ran into her ex at the supermarket and pretended not to see him while she quickly finished her shopping in another aisle."

(typically of an unmarried couple) to live together and have a sexual relationship

"They will shack up."

"After dating for a year, the couple decided to shack up and share a living space."

to become someone's husband or wife during a special ceremony

"They got hitched last summer."

"After dating for five years, my sister and her boyfriend finally got hitched in a beautiful ceremony."

a man who is the father of someone's child, typically outside of marriage

"Her baby daddy pays child support."

"Her baby daddy pays child support and visits their daughter every other weekend."

a woman who is the mother of someone's child, typically outside of marriage

"His baby mama lives in another state."

"His baby mama lives in another state and they share custody of their son during school holidays."

a romantic or sexual relationship that lacks clear labels, commitment, or long-term expectations

"The situationship ended badly."

"The situationship ended badly and she was left confused about whether they were ever really together."

in a committed romantic relationship

"He is cuffed to his girlfriend."

"He is cuffed to his girlfriend and they have been together for three years now."

the fall and winter months when people are more likely to seek committed relationships

"He is looking for a partner during cuffing season."

"He is looking for a partner during cuffing season to have someone to cuddle with through the winter."

describing a romantic relationship that has been publicly confirmed on Facebook

"Their relationship is Facebook official."

"Their relationship is Facebook official and they changed their status to in a relationship last week."

an ideal romantic couple, either real or fictional, often considered perfect by fans or admirers

"Harry and Hermione are my OTP."

"Harry and Hermione are my OTP and I will always believe they should have ended up together."