From ‘dexting’ to ‘delusionship’: new language of love

Whether you’re single, in a relationship, in a ‘situationship’ or a ‘delusionship’ this Valentine’s Day, explore new terms around romantic relationships the Cambridge Dictionary team has seen growing in popularity over the last 12 months.  

Which emerging terms do you most relate to? 

Let’s start with a new word some of you may know. ‘Situationship’ featured in Cambridge Dictionary’s New Words blog in February last year, where over 500 readers voted that the word should be added to the dictionary.  

situationship noun
a relationship between two people that is more than a friendship but not a fully committed romantic relationship 

By December 2023, the term had indeed officially made it into Cambridge’s online dictionary as a new addition, and a similar word, ‘delusionship’, appeared in the New Words blog.  

Have you ever found yourself in this type of relationship? 

delusionship noun
a situation where a person imagines their romantic relationship with someone to be much more serious and committed than it is

If you’ve been on the dating scene recently, you may be familiar with some of these new terms – have you been busy ‘dexting’, or has the person you’ve been seeing given you a ‘beige flag’? 

dexting noun
exchanging many text messages with someone you have met on a dating app without ever meeting them in person

beige flag noun
a sign that someone you have started a romantic relationship with is a little strange or boring but not enough for you to end the relationship

infla-dating noun
going out with someone you have a romantic relationship with to do things that are not very expensive 

If you’ve been unlucky in love, or found yourself pursuing the wrong people, you might recognise some of these dating terms which have been growing in popularity – are you thinking about ‘quiet dumping’ someone, or have you been on the receiving end of ‘ghostlighting’? 

quiet dumping noun
gradually ending a romantic relationship with someone by never making more than the minimum amount of effort needed 

ghostlighting noun
the act of ending a relationship with someone by suddenly stopping all communication with them, then trying to make them believe that this did not actually happen and they must have imagined it

wokefishing noun 
pretending to care more than you actually do about social problems such as racism and inequality in order to attract someone you want to have a romantic relationship with 

groundhogging noun 
the act of dating the same type of person again and again, even though it never ends in a successful relationship  

Perhaps you’ve decided that, after ‘groundhogging’ for a long time, it is time to make a change to your dating habits this year – how about ‘untyping’?

untyping noun
choosing to start a romantic relationship with someone who isn’t the type of person you normally find attractive

And remember, no matter what happens in your love life, you’ll always have your friends. Why not celebrate ‘Palentine’s Day’ this year instead, and shower your best friends with love and appreciation? 

Palentine’s Day  noun
a day, usually 13 February, when friends celebrate their relationship by exchanging gifts and cards in the same way that people in a romantic relationship do on Valentine’s Day

If you enjoy learning about new words, read Cambridge Dictionary’s New Words blog, where each week readers can have their say on whether emerging terms should be added to the dictionary. 

By Alana Walden