situationship

American  

[sich-oo-ey-shuhn-ship] / ˌsɪtʃ uˈeɪ ʃən ʃɪp /

noun

Informal.

1. a romantic or sexual relationship that its participants have not defined, and which can also lack commitment or exclusivity.

   After two years of a messy situationship, she was looking for someone who wanted to settle down.

---

Etymology

Origin of situationship

First recorded in 2005–10; situation ( def. ) + (relation)ship ( def. )

Example Sentences

The Columbia University grad student was recently in a “situationship”—Gen Z’s term for a romantic entanglement that exists somewhere between friendship and a relationship—with a man who initially expressed admiration for her achievements.

From The Wall Street Journal

After sharing the news with my best friend about my romance with Allen, she burst my bubble: “You’re in a situationship.”

From Los Angeles Times

She confirmed that what I had shared with her was the solid definition of a “situationship.”

From Los Angeles Times

As best I could understand it, he was getting branded with the landmark because he was enmeshed in a situationship that wasn’t working out.

From Slate

But from its premiere in December 2021, the sequel to the popular HBO series was like a situationship viewers could never fully get a handle on.

From Los Angeles Times