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Dating-app slang
Modern dating happens in a vocabulary almost entirely invented in the last 15 years. Hinge, Bumble, Tinder, and TikTok have given us terms for behaviours that always existed but never had names — soft-launching a relationship, ghosting a third date, breadcrumbing someone you don't actually want.
This is the catalogue of dating-app and modern-relationship vocabulary on Slangora. It's heavily weighted toward terms minted on dating apps and on TikTok's relationship-confessional side.
The Dating lexicon · 47 terms
situationship
/ʃɪʔˈu eɪ.ʃən.ʃɪp/
💘 Relationships & Dating
ghosting
ˈɡoʊs.tɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
breadcrumbing
ˈbred.krʌm.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
soft launch
sɒft lɔːntʃ
💘 Relationships & Dating
hard launch
hɑːd lɔːntʃ
💘 Relationships & Dating
benching
ˈbentʃ.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
orbiting
ˈɔː.bɪt.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
love bombing
lʌv ˈbɒm.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
delulu
/dəˈluːluː/
🔥 Gen Z & TikTok
rizz
/rɪz/
🔥 Gen Z & TikTok
red flag
red flæɡ
🌐 Internet & Memes
green flag
ɡriːn flæɡ
🌐 Internet & Memes
bae
/beɪ/
💘 Relationships & Dating
beige flag (dating)
beɪʒ flæɡ
💘 Relationships & Dating
beige flagging
beɪʒ ˈflæɡ.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
black cat girlfriend
blæk kæt ˈɡɜːl.frend
💘 Relationships & Dating
boo
/buː/
💘 Relationships & Dating
catfish
ˈkæt.fɪʃ
💘 Relationships & Dating
clout chaser
klaʊt ˈtʃeɪ.sər
💘 Relationships & Dating
cuffing season
ˈkʌf.ɪŋ ˈsiː.zən
💘 Relationships & Dating
cushion dating
ˈkʊʃ.ən ˈdeɪt.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
dating app fatigue
ˈdeɪt.ɪŋ æp fəˈtiːɡ
💘 Relationships & Dating
down bad
daʊn bæd
💘 Relationships & Dating
dry spell
draɪ spel
💘 Relationships & Dating
dry texter
draɪ ˈtek.stər
💘 Relationships & Dating
DTR
/ˈdiː ˌtiː ˈɑːr/
💘 Relationships & Dating
friend zone
frend zoʊn
💘 Relationships & Dating
golden retriever boyfriend
ˈɡoʊl.dən rɪˈtriː.vər ˈbɔɪ.frend
💘 Relationships & Dating
green-flag spotting
ɡriːn flæɡ ˈspɒt.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
group-chat approval
ɡruːp tʃæt əˈpruː.vəl
💘 Relationships & Dating
gym crush
dʒɪm krʌʃ
💘 Relationships & Dating
gymcel
ˈdʒɪm.sel
💘 Relationships & Dating
hybrid date
ˈhaɪ.brɪd deɪt
💘 Relationships & Dating
nepo baby
ˈnep.oʊ ˈbeɪ.bi
💘 Relationships & Dating
pookie
/ˈpʊki/
💘 Relationships & Dating
rizz up
rɪz ʌp
💘 Relationships & Dating
ship
ʃɪp
💘 Relationships & Dating
situational cringe
ˌsɪtʃ.uˈeɪ.ʃən.əl krɪndʒ
💘 Relationships & Dating
sliding into DMs
ˈslaɪd.ɪŋ ˈɪn.tə diː ems
💘 Relationships & Dating
slow dating
sloʊ ˈdeɪt.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
slow fade
sloʊ feɪd
💘 Relationships & Dating
talking stage
ˈtɔː.kɪŋ steɪdʒ
💘 Relationships & Dating
the ex files
ði eks faɪlz
💘 Relationships & Dating
third wheel
θɜːd wiːl
💘 Relationships & Dating
third-date rule
θɜːd deɪt ruːl
💘 Relationships & Dating
walking date
ˈwɔːk.ɪŋ deɪt
💘 Relationships & Dating
zombieing
ˈzɒm.bi.ɪŋ
💘 Relationships & Dating
Bottom line
Most of these words name a specific kind of disappointment. The vocabulary exists because the experience is widespread enough that we collectively needed a shorthand for it.
Read more on this
The lifecycle of a slang word: cringe → core → dead
Slang doesn't live forever. Every word goes through the same four stages — and most of them die in less than three years. Here's the model.
Where slang is born now: TikTok, Twitch, Discord, and the platform pipelines
Slang doesn't get invented in dictionaries. It gets minted on Twitch, tested on Discord, scaled on TikTok, and ironized on Twitter. Here's the pipeline.
AAVE and internet slang: where most of the words actually come from
Most of the slang you think TikTok invented came from somewhere older. A clear look at AAVE's role in modern internet language — without the dodging or the flattening.
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