'Slow dating' is the trend of getting to know one person at a time, going on a few dates before sleeping together, and not constantly swiping for someone new on apps. A backlash against the rapid pace of swipe-dating apps like Tinder. Some dating apps (Hinge, Thursday) market themselves around it. If your teen is into slow dating, they are taking a more deliberate approach. Healthy and emotionally mature; nothing concerning.
slow dating
Dating deliberately — fewer matches, longer conversations, actual dates instead of endless texting.
sloʊ ˈdeɪt.ɪŋDocumented since 2010s2010sGen Alphatrending430 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~2018 · no dated citations yetSeen in the wild
Firecrawl: A not for profit dating app is a genuinely good idea. If you decide you ...
Basically forcing slow dating in the app.<br>The guys trying to have too many matches is easy to fix IMO, you basically limit the likes.
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Firecrawl: I have always said that commercial dating apps have the wrong ...
Basically forcing slow dating in the app.<br>The guys trying to have too many matches is easy to fix IMO, you basically limit the likes.
View source
Firecrawl: Gen Z: Hampshire singletons ditch Tinder for speed dating - BBC
"People don't want to waste three weeks to find out if someone isn't as funny as they seem or they don't look the way they do on their profile," said Lissy Cleminson, of Slow Dating - one of a number of dating firms s…
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Definitions
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#1·Apr 24, 2026Global
Dating deliberately — fewer matches, longer conversations, actual dates instead of endless texting. The anti-Hinge approach, increasingly marketed by apps after dating-app-fatigue hit critical mass in 2024.
See it in action
“Basically forcing slow dating in the app.<br>The guys trying to have too many matches is easy to fix IMO, you basically limit the likes.”
“Basically forcing slow dating in the app.<br>The guys trying to have too many matches is easy to fix IMO, you basically limit the likes.”
"Slow dating this year. Three matches, three actual dates. Quality control."
Origin: Dating-app-era vocabulary, 2018–2025.
For parents
'Slow dating' is the trend of getting to know one person at a time, going on a few dates before sleeping together, and not constantly swiping for someone new on apps. A backlash against the rapid pace of swipe-dating apps like Tinder. Some dating apps (Hinge, Thursday) market themselves around it. If your teen is into slow dating, they are taking a more deliberate approach. Healthy and emotionally mature; nothing concerning.
For ESL learners
'Slow dating' is a 2018-onward dating philosophy and trend in which singles deliberately pace the early stages of a relationship — fewer matches at a time, more dates before physical intimacy, less swiping. A backlash against the rapid-pace culture of apps like Tinder. Several apps (Hinge, Thursday) market themselves around slow-dating principles. Register: informal, dating journalism. In formal writing the term is recognised with brief gloss. A common learner mistake is to confuse it with celibacy; slow dating is about pacing, not abstinence.
Heard in the wild
“Basically forcing slow dating in the app.<br>The guys trying to have too many matches is easy to fix IMO, you basically limit the likes.”
“Basically forcing slow dating in the app.<br>The guys trying to have too many matches is easy to fix IMO, you basically limit the likes.”
“"People don't want to waste three weeks to find out if someone isn't as funny as they seem or they don't look the way they do on their profile," said Lissy Cleminson, of Slow Dating - one of a number of dating firms seeing a rise in face-to-face events.”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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💘About Relationships & Dating slang
How people talk about dating apps, modern romance, and the situationships they swear they're over — from ghosting and breadcrumbing to soft-launching, hard-launching, and the ick.
See all Relationships & Dating slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "slow dating" (S)
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Gradually reducing contact with someone until the relationship dissolves on its own — a less abrupt alternative to ghosting. The slow-fade is more considerate in intent, equally confusing in practice. You don't know you're in one until three unanswered "hey's" later.
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