The Ultimate Dating Slang Survival Guide

Decode the weirdest dating lingo of 2025—from ghosting to beardfishing—this guide has all the cringe (and fun) terms you need to survive the dating jungle.

Modern dating is basically the Wild West—except instead of duels and saloons, we’re dodging ghosters, zombies and staying out of the orbit zone.

If you’ve ever felt like dating has its own secret language, you’re not wrong—especially for those of us in Gen X trying to keep up, just kidding, these are fun but we don’t care. These confusing ridiculous (sorry, but not sorry) phrases, dating lingo changes fast—and it’s easy to feel lost. If you buy into this.

Are people really using these terms? Or are we just pretending to understand? Either way, these modern dating slang terms exist for a reason—because almost every dater has experienced at least one of these awkward, hilarious, or cringe-worthy moments. (And if it’s online, it must be true).

This dating glossary breaks down the most popular dating trends, relationship slang, hookup terms, and dating app lingo floating around in 2025. Whether you’re navigating the wild world of online dating, dating apps like Tinder or Bumble, or just trying to stay current—this guide keeps you in the loop.

***Many terms sourced from Urban Dictionary, social media, dating apps, and recent dating studies.

Dating Slang Glossary (A-Z)

Jump to a letter: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

💸 Affordating – Going on affordable dates.

🍂 Autumn-ing – The opposite of cuffing season—when people break up before the colder months instead of settling down.

❤️ BAE – “Before Anyone Else.” A term of endearment for your significant other.

🧠 Backsliding – Going back to an ex even though the breakup happened for a reason.

🧔🏻‍♂️ Beardfishing – When a guy looks like a whole snack with a beard… until he shaves it off and suddenly you’re dating a naked mole rat. False advertising at its finest.

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💀 Beige Flags – Quirky or boring characteristics that aren’t deal-breakers but definitely don’t scream excitement either.

🔥 Benching – Keeping someone on the sidelines like a backup player instead of actually dating them.

🌈 Bi-curious – A person exploring their attraction to multiple genders.

🥞 Biscuiting – When you try to have healthier dating habits, but your toxic old habits are just too buttery and delicious.

🥖 Breadcrumbing – Giving just enough attention to keep someone interested but never actually committing.

📌 Booty Call – Someone you contact solely for casual sex, often with little to no conversation beforehand.

🍰 Caking – Flirting excessively with someone, often online or via text, with no real intention behind it.

🎮 Caspering – A softer version of ghosting where someone slowly fades away instead of disappearing completely.

🎟️ Casual Dating – Going on dates with different people without the expectation of a serious relationship.

🎟️ Catfishing – Pretending to be someone else online to lure someone into a relationship.

🎯 Catch and Release – Loving the thrill of the chase but losing interest once the other person likes you back.

🎯 Catch Feels – Starting to develop romantic feelings for someone.

🌭 Cloaking – Ghosting on steroids—vanishing AND blocking you everywhere.

🎮 Cloutlighting – Using a partner to create content solely for social media clout through manipulation.

👻 Cobwebbing – Clearing out old flames and contacts to make room for something new.

📏 Cockfishing – Sending fake or misleading intimate pics to impress or deceive.+

🧠 Consciously Single – Choosing to be single and intentional about dating decisions.

🍪 Cookie-Jarring – Keeping someone as a backup while you focus on other relationships.

🐛 Cricketing – Reaching out to someone and getting total silence (like hearing crickets)—even though you know they saw it.

🥐 Croissanting – When a relationship is amazing but always seems to be a flaky, buttery mess.

🌨️ Cuffing Season – When people couple up during colder months just to avoid being lonely over the holidays.

🛠️ Cushioning – Chatting up other potential partners while in a relationship “just in case.”

📉 Curving – Dodging texts and giving vague excuses instead of directly rejecting someone.

🎤 Daterview – When a date feels like a job interview—minus the health insurance.

🤡 Delusionship – Fully believing you’re in a relationship with someone who barely knows you exist.

🐦 Devaluing and Discarding – The toxic cycle of building someone up just to throw them away.

📞 Dial Toning – Giving someone your number but never replying.

💰 DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) – Couples enjoying a two-income, no-children lifestyle.

🍹 Dry Dating – Choosing not to drink alcohol on dates.

😈DTF – “Down to F***.” A blunt way of asking if someone is interested in a casual hookup.

🗣️ DTR (Define the Relationship) – The conversation to clarify relationship status.

🌑 Eclipsing – Adopting all your date’s interests to seem more compatible.

🚿 Emotional Rollercoastering – Hot and cold behavior that has you wondering if you need therapy or just better taste.

🫂 Enmeshment – When partners become so intertwined that boundaries blur.

🥺 Fauci-ing – Rejecting a date because they don’t take the pandemic seriously enough.

🫥 Fauxbae’ing – Pretending you’re in a relationship with someone online… but you’re not.

💌 Fexting – Fighting over text like passive-aggressive adults.

🌱 Fielding Season – Shopping around for partners right before cuffing season.

🌿 Fishing – Casting lines on multiple apps to see who bites.

🚪 Firedooring – A one-sided relationship where you’re the only one putting in any effort.

🌫️ Fizzling – When someone slowly stops responding instead of breaking up.

🔥 Flashpanning – A relationship that starts intensely but burns out fast.

🥞 Flapjacking – When your girlfriend is as flat as a pancake and you eventually learn to love and prefer it, but sometimes you need syrup.

💪 Flexting – Bragging over text, usually exaggerated nonsense meant to impress.

👽 Flying Monkeys – Toxic people who help an abuser manipulate their target.

🤪 Freak Matching – Looking for a partner with the same quirks and kinks.

🍂 Freckling – A summer fling that disappears like your tan in fall.

🛡️ Future-Proofing – Asking important questions early to determine long-term compatibility.

🔋 Gaslighting – A toxic manipulation tactic where someone makes you question your reality, often leaving you confused and doubting your own sanity. (Inspired by the 1944 film Gaslight.)

📢 Ghostbusting – Refusing to take a hint and messaging someone who already ghosted you.

👻 Ghosting – Disappearing from someone’s life without a word.

🍏 Green Flags – Signs someone might actually be a healthy partner.

📚 Groundhogging – Dating the same type of person over and over, expecting different results.

🔝 Hardballing – Being brutally honest about what you want from the start.

🔍 Haunting – Ghosting someone but still watching their stories like a creeper.

💀 Hoovering – When a toxic ex tries to suck you back in with false apologies.

🎧 Hookup – A one-time sexual encounter with no strings attached.

🥨 Ice Fishing – Reaching out to an old fling to test if there’s still a spark.

🥴 Ick – The sudden, irrational turn-off you can’t explain.

🥶 Incel – Involuntarily celibate person blaming society for their lack of romantic success.

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🎤 Kanye-ing – Talking only about yourself on a date like you’re headlining a concert.

🐱 Kittenfishing – Mild catfishing—lying with soft filters and “creative” profile pics.

🔄 LTR (Long-Term Relationship) – A committed, long-lasting romantic relationship.

💕 Love-Locking – Planning your whole future with someone after just two dates.

💣 Love Bombing – Extreme affection early on—often to manipulate you.

🪓 Lumberbait – A guy who looks rugged and capable, like he just chopped down a tree with his bare hands—but in reality, he calls his dad when the Wi-Fi goes out.

💀 Lurking – Stalking someone’s social media without interaction.

🎄 Marleying – When someone who ghosted you suddenly reappears during the holidays, as if nothing ever happened.

📈 Mermaiding – Acting mysterious and elusive but never committing.

🌮 Mexting – The practice of texting pics of Mexican food to your friends. It’s like sexting… only hotter.

💞 Micro-Cheating – Small, sneaky behaviors that feel like cheating—think flirty DMs, secret Snapchats, or lingering likes on someone else’s thirst traps.

👤 Mosting – Love-bombing until you’re hooked, then disappearing.

🤔 Negging – Giving backhanded compliments to knock someone’s confidence.

🔁 Next on Deck – Keeping someone waiting in case your main thing doesn’t work out.

🔐 NSA (No Strings Attached) – Any sexual relationship with zero commitment.

🔑 Open Relationship – A relationship where both partners are free to see others.

👀 Orbiting – Ghosting someone but still lurking on their socials.

🐚 Oystering – Embracing single life post-breakup and exploring new options.

📜 Paperclipping – An ex popping back in just to remind you they exist.

👑 Peacocking – Dressing flashy or showing off to attract attention.

🛃 Pocketing – Keeping someone hidden from your friends and family.

🚪 Polter-Ghosting – When someone not only ghosts but also doesn’t show up for a date.

👑 Polyamorous – Having multiple consensual romantic relationships.

🔄 Recycling – Getting back with an ex out of laziness, not love.

🚩 Red Flags – Behavior that screams “run.”

🌟 Rizz – Short for charisma—the power to flirt like a pro.

🐜 Roaching – Finding out your “exclusive” date is secretly seeing a swarm of others.

💋 Sensual – Enjoying physical touch and pleasure, but not necessarily sex.

🌈 Serendipidating – Delaying plans with someone just in case someone better comes along.

🎤 Sex Interview – When someone treats a date as an interview for whether you’re good enough to sleep with.

😵 Situationship – More than friends, less than a relationship. Welcome to limbo.

🚦 Sidebarring – Ignoring your date while scrolling your phone, aka “pubbing.”

🦆 Shave Ducking – Worrying that your attraction to someone is based solely on their beard.

🏃‍♂️ Slow Fade – When someone gradually pulls away instead of ghosting.

🔈 Sneaky Link – Low-key hookup kept on the down-low.

👀 Sneaky Watching – Watching someone’s stories but never engaging.

🔊 Soft Ghosting – Liking messages instead of replying as a slow way to ghost.

📤 Soft Launch – Subtly introducing your new partner online without a full reveal.

🍞 Sourdoughing – When your partner does nothing but lay around “fermenting” instead of getting a job, claiming it’s all part of a process.

🎯 Spearfishing – Targeting someone specifically through curated social media posts to get their attention.

🥢 Stashing – Keeping your relationship hidden like it’s part of your tax evasion plan.

🐟 Submarining – Ghosting someone, then popping back up like nothing happened.

💬 Talking Stage – The pre-relationship phase filled with endless “wyd” texts.

🧠 Textpectation – The anxiety of waiting for a reply you know might never come.

🧬 Therapist Dating – When your date turns you into their unpaid therapist.

🟨 Throning – Dating someone solely for their status or wealth.

🎄 Tinselling – Pretending everything is perfect in your relationship, especially during the holidays.

📱 Tindstagramming – Messaging someone on Instagram after matching with them on Tinder instead of waiting for a response.

🎯 Tuning – Flirting just for fun with zero interest in anything serious.

🦗 Vulturing – Hovering around someone who’s just been dumped, ready to swoop in.

🧇 Waffling – When you can’t commit to one person because you keep craving “variety.”

🟢 White Flagging – When you give up on dating and tap out of the chaos.

🚦 Wokefishing – Pretending to be socially aware or progressive to attract someone.

👀WYD – “What You Doing?” A casual text to start a conversation, often sent with flirty intentions.

🔁 Yellow Flags – Not quite deal-breakers, but behavior that makes you go “hmmm…”

🧟‍♂️ Zombie-ing – When someone ghosts you and then crawls back like nothing happened.

(Many of these terms are sourced from Urban Dictionary, dating apps, social media trends, and recent dating studies.)

Now You’re Fluent in Modern Dating!

Next time someone tells you they’re “benching” you or your “situationship” is looking sketchy, you’ll actually know what’s going on.

Is it the Millennials, Gen Z, or the rest of us who are responsible for these ridiculous terms? Are we actually using them, or are they just floating around on the internet waiting for someone to take them seriously? Either way, dating today is like learning a new language—so now you’re prepared!(Many of these terms are sourced from Urban Dictionary, dating apps, social media trends, and recent dating studies.)

Got a term I missed? Drop it in the comments, and let’s keep this glossary growing!

📌 Related Blog: Want to dive into the full evolution of dating? 👉 Read From Wooing to Ghosting here!

 Ready to survive the dating jungle? Share your worst dating slang moment in the comments! And don’t forget to grab my FREE survival checklist — Sign up below! 💌