Your essential guide to making sense of modern dating terms
The Modern Dating Dictionary
A
Age-Appropriate:
seeking a partner within your age range.
Aging Like Fine Wine:
describing someone who becomes more attractive and charming with age.
B
Benching:
keeping someone on the sidelines as a backup while not fully committing to them.
Breadcrumbing:
sending sporadic, noncommittal messages to keep someone interested without actually pursuing a relationship.
C
Catfishing:
creating a false identity online to deceive someone into a relationship.
Cloaking:
standing someone up and then blocking them on all forms of communication.
Cougar
An older woman who is romantically interested in or dating significantly younger men.
Cuffing Season:
the period during colder months when people are more inclined to couple up.
Curving:
politely turning down someone’s advances by dodging or avoiding outright rejection.
Cushioning:
keeping potential romantic interests on standby while already in a relationship.
D
Datenapping:
taking over the planning of a date with little input from the other person.
DTR (Define The Relationship):
having a conversation to establish the status and boundaries of a relationship.
E
Eclipsing:
adopting the hobbies and interests of the person you’re dating.
Encore Relationship:
a new romantic relationship later in life.
F
Faux-bae:
pretending to have a significant other to make someone else jealous.
Fishing:
posting on social media to get attention from potential dates.
Friend Zone
when one person wants a romantic relationship, but the other only sees them as a friend.
G
Ghostbusting:
confronting someone who has ghosted you.
Ghosting:
suddenly and completely ceasing all communication with someone you’re dating, without explanation.
Glamboozled:
getting dressed up for a date only to be canceled at the last minute.
Golden God/Goddess:
an attractive, older woman or man who exudes confidence and charm.
Golden Meetup:
a term for a date between older singles.
Golden Years Romance:
a loving relationship in senior years.
Gray Divorce:
when individuals over 50 end their marriage and re-enter the dating scene.
H
Haunting:
when an ex continues to interact with your social media without direct communication.
I
Inflation Dating:
going on extravagant dates to show off financial status.
Instagrandstanding:
making your relationship look perfect on social media.
L
Late Bloomer:
someone who starts dating seriously later in life.
Legacy Lover:
a partner who shares and appreciates your life history and experiences.
Life Partner:
a significant other who you plan to spend the rest of your life with.
Love Bombing:
overwhelming someone with affection and attention to gain control over them.
M
Mature Minglings:
socializing and dating events designed for older adults.
Micro-Cheating:
small actions that could be considered infidelity, like flirting with someone else online.
N
Nest Emptying:
starting to date again after children have grown up and left home.
O
Orbiting:
someone who has ghosted you but still engages with your social media posts.
P
Petfishing:
using a pet in dating profiles to attract potential matches.
Pocketing:
delaying introducing a partner to friends and family.
R
Rebound Retirement:
dating shortly after retiring from a long-term career.
Retro-Dating:
rekindling a relationship with someone you dated in your younger years.
R-Bombing:
reading someone’s message without replying.
Roaching:
hiding the fact that you’re seeing multiple people.
S
Seasoned Romance:
a relationship between older adults who bring a wealth of life experience to their partnership.
Second-Time Charm:
finding love again in later life, often after a divorce or the loss of a spouse.
Serendipidating:
delaying a date in hopes that something better comes along.
Silver Fox:
An older man who is dating significantly younger women.
Silver Singles:
older adults who are single and actively dating.
Slow Fade:
gradually reducing communication to end a relationship without confrontation.
Speed Dating:
a fast-paced dating event.
Sugar Daddy
An older man who is romantically involved with and financially supporting a significantly younger woman.
Swerve:
avoiding someone who is showing interest in you.
T
Textlationship:
a relationship that exists only through text messages.
W
Whelming:
bragging about how many people are interested in you.
Wisdom Match:
a relationship where both partners value the life experiences and wisdom they bring.
Z
Zombie-ing:
when someone who ghosted you suddenly reappears in your life.