20 Dating Terms That Will Make You Question Everything You Know About Love

Welcome to dating in 2025, where finding love requires more detective work than a true crime podcast. Gone are the days when "it's complicated" was the most confusing relationship status on Facebook. Now we've got soft-launches, situationships, and people who ghost you but somehow still manage to like every single one of your Instagram stories (looking at you, orbiters).

If you've ever stared at your phone wondering whether someone's breadcrumbing you or just really enjoys sending one-word responses, this survival guide is for you. We're breaking down 20 (yes, twenty) relationship terms that'll help you navigate the beautiful chaos of modern love-because honestly, we could all use a translator for this madness.

1. Hard-Launching

Meaning: Going full official on social media with a proper couple debut—think grid posts, cute captions, and zero mystery about your relationship status.

Example: "Did you see Maya hard-launched her boyfriend? Full-face reveal, matching Diwali outfits, and a caption that read 'my person.' We love to see it."

Pro Tip: Don't hard-launch someone unless you're ready for your mom to comment "finally!" and your ex to accidentally like the post at 3 a.m. There's no taking back a hard launch.

2. Soft-Launching

Meaning: The art of revealing relationships through shadowy figures, mysterious hands, and cryptic "we" references. It's dating content for people who love the staple of every Abbas Mustaan film: a good plot twist.

Example: "Check out Jaiveer’s story—there's definitely another coffee cup in that café shot. Classic soft-launch move."

Pro Tip: Master the soft-launch game by posting just enough to make people curious but not enough to satisfy their nosiness. Think of yourself as the Christopher Nolan of dating content.

3. Breadcrumbing 

Meaning: When someone gives you just enough attention to keep you interested but never enough to actually move forward. They're basically Hansel and Gretel-ing your heart.

Example: "He sends me a 'good morning, beautiful' text once a week and likes my selfies, but hasn't asked me out in two months. Peak breadcrumbing behavior."

Pro Tip: Don't follow breadcrumbs unless they lead to an actual relationship. You deserve the whole loaf, not just crumbs from someone's (emotional) bakery.

4. Love Bombing

Meaning: When someone overwhelms you with excessive affection, compliments, and plans way too early. It's romantic gestures on steroids.

Example: "He said he loved me on date three and already picked out our wedding venue. Sir, you need to calm down."

Pro Tip: If someone's moving faster than a Taylor Swift song relationship timeline, pump the brakes. Real love doesn't need to prove itself with grand gestures in the first week (or month).

5. Submarining

Meaning: When someone disappears completely and then resurfaces like nothing happened, usually with a casual "hey stranger" text.

Example: "Remember ,Rajeev who ghosted me after our fourth date? He just submarined with a 'What's up, thought of you.' message like he wasn't MIA for three months."

Pro Tip: When someone submarines back into your life, remember they already showed you how they handle things when life gets complicated. Spoiler: they don't.

6. Pocketing

Meaning: When someone keeps you completely hidden from their social media, friends, and family. You're basically their relationship's best-kept secret.

Example: "We've been dating for five months, but his Instagram looks like he's single and ready to mingle. Am I being pocketed or am I just being paranoid?"

Pro Tip: If someone's pocketing you, ask yourself why. Are they embarrassed, not ready, or keeping their options open? You deserve someone who isproud to show you off.

7. Benching 

Meaning: Being kept as a backup option while someone explores other possibilities. You're warming the bench while they play the field.

Example: "She texts me just enough to keep me interested but never makes actual plans. I think I'm permanently benched."

Pro Tip: You're not here to be someone's Plan B while they figure out their Plan A. Walk away from the bench and find someone who puts you in the starting lineup.

8. Fizzling

Meaning: When a connection naturally loses steam without any dramatic ending. It's the relationship equivalent of a soda going flat (like a Coca Cola lying on the dining table all afternoon).

Example: "We used to text constantly, but now it's just 'lol' and 'haha.' I think we're officially fizzling out."

Pro Tip: Sometimes fizzling is mutual and peaceful—not every connection needs to end in flames. Save your energy for sparks that actually catch fire.

9. Cushioning

Meaning: Keeping backup romantic options around while in a relationship, like emotional insurance policies.

Example: "She's always texting her ex 'as friends,' but those heart emojis suggest otherwise. Classic cushioning behavior."

Pro Tip: If your partner's cushioning you or cushioning others, it's time for a conversation about commitment. Relationships work best without safety nets made of other people.

10. Beige Flag

Meaning: A quirky trait that's not quite a red flag but makes you go "hmm." It's relationship purgatory-not good, not bad, just... there.

Example: "He collects vintage movie posters and has strong opinions about protein powder.. Major beige flag energy, but honestly kind of endearing?"

Pro Tip: Beige flags can actually be charming if you're into quirky. Just make sure weird is the right kind of weird for you.

11. Orbiting

Meaning: When someone ghosts you but continues to lurk on your social media, liking posts and watching stories without actual communication.

Example: "He hasn't texted me in weeks, but somehow he's always the first to view my Instagram stories. Stop orbiting and start communicating."

Pro Tip: Don't give orbiters the satisfaction of your attention. If they want to stay in your universe, they need to actually land and have a conversation.

12. Hinge Fishing

Meaning: Using dating apps purely for ego validation without any intention of meeting people in real life.

Example: "We've been chatting for three months, but every time I suggest meeting up, he changes the subject. Total Hinge fishing vibes."

Pro Tip: If someone's all chat and no action, throw them back in the dating app sea. You're looking for a catch, not a time-waster.

14. Soft Ghosting 

Meaning: The slow fade version of ghosting-they still respond, but with minimum effort and maximum indifference.

Example: "His replies went from paragraphs to 'lol' and 'cool.' I'm being soft ghosted, and it's somehow worse than regular ghosting."

Pro Tip: Soft ghosting is just a coward’s way of ghosting. If someone can't be bothered to maintain a real conversation, consider the message received loud and clear.

15. Roaching

Meaning: When you discover your "exclusive" partner has been seeing multiple people, like finding one cockroach and realizing there are probably more hiding.

Example: "Found out he was dating three other girls while telling me we were exclusive. Got roached hard."

Pro Tip: If you discover roaching, remember it's about their character, not your worth. Someone who hides multiple relationships isn't relationship material. Spray them out of your life right away.

16. Haunting

Meaning: When an ex occasionally likes your posts or appears in your DMs just enough to remind you they exist, but not enough to actually reconnect.

Example: "My ex from two years ago liked my LinkedIn post about my promotion. Why are you haunting my professional network, Amey?"

Pro Tip: Don't let haunters live rent-free in your head. Block them if you need to-your peace of mind is worth more than their sporadic validation.

17. Paperclipping

Meaning: When someone pops up with a random, low-effort message after a long period of silence, usually involving something that “reminds them of you”.

Example: "He sent me a reel about dogs six months after we stopped talking because 'it reminded him of me.' Is this noy paperclipping?"

Pro Tip: Paperclippers are just emotional hoarders trying to keep you in their back pocket. Don't let nostalgia trick you into responding to breadcrumbs.

18. Textlationship

Meaning: A relationship that exists primarily through texting with little to no in-person interaction or phone calls.

Example: "We text all day every day but haven't actually hung out in person for weeks. Are we dating or just pen pals?"

Pro Tip: If your relationship exists mainly in your phone, it's time to push for a real-world connection. Love needs more than just good WiFi to survive.

19. Stashing

Meaning: Similar to pocketing but more extreme keeping someone completely secret from all areas of your life.

Example: "I've never been to his place, met his friends, or appeared on any of his social media. I think I'm being stashed."

Pro Tip: If you're being stashed, ask yourself why someone would hide something good. Usually, it's because they don't see it as good as you do.

20. Micro-Cheating

Meaning: Small acts of emotional or digital infidelity that don't technically cross the line but definitely dance around it.

Example: "He's not physically cheating, but he's definitely flirting with his coworker on Instagram. Do you think that he’s micro-cheating?"

Pro Tip: Micro-cheating might seem small, but it often indicates bigger issues with boundaries and respect. Trust your instincts when something feels off.

Read More: 25 Questions That'll Make Your Partner Blush In Bed (And Beg for More)

Your Survival Guide to Modern Love

Dating in 2025 feels like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube while blindfolded and riding a unicycle. We've created an entire vocabulary just to describe the ways people can disappoint us, which honestly says a lot about where we are as a society.

But not everything in life needs to be a struggle behind every term in this dating dictionary is usually someone's experience of being confused, frustrated, or straight-up jerked around by modern romance. We needed these words because traditional dating language couldn't capture the beautiful mess that is love in the digital age.

The silver lining? Once you can identify these patterns, you're less likely to waste your time wondering what someone's "lol" really means or why they only text you after 11 p.m. 

Remember: Knowledge is power, and power is not spending three hours analyzing someone's response time.

The Bottom Line

The best relationships shouldn't require a PhD in behavioral psychology to understand. When someone genuinely wants to be with you, their actions are consistent, their communication is clear, and you don't need a dating dictionary to decode their intentions.

Yes, dating is exhausting, unpredictable, and sometimes feels like a contact sport. But that's exactly why we need all the help we can get to make it less tiresome. Consider this your cheat sheet for navigating the chaos—because life's too short to spend it wondering if you're being soft-launched or hard-ghosted.

The goal isn't to become fluent in every dating trend but to recognize when you're dealing with behavior that doesn't serve you. Whether someone's benching you, breadcrumbing you, or keeping you in their orbit, the solution is usually the same: find someone who doesn't require a translator.

Modern love might need its own vocabulary, but at the end of the day, it's still about finding someone who makes you laugh, supports your dreams, and doesn't make you feel like you're playing an emotional escape room every time you text them. And if decoding someone's behavior feels like a full-time job, they're probably not paying you enough for that kind of work.