Slang dictionary
situationship
[ sich-oo-ey-shuhn-ship ]
What does situationship mean?
A situationship is a romantic or sexual relationship that is undefined and noncommittal. People in a situationship are more than friends but less than committed romantic partners.
The term situationship is often used to describe a broad range of relationships that involve romance and/or sex, and sources often differ on a precise meaning. Common among the many definitions of situationship is a lack of commitment. In a situationship, either one or both people are not willing to commit to a long-term relationship with the other person at that moment.
Also common among situationships is the relationship’s undefined nature. People in a situationship may not have discussed what kind of relationship they are in or may not have even acknowledged that they are in a relationship. The two members of a situationship have typically not seriously discussed their relationship with each other, so each person may have a different idea about what exactly the relationship entails and where it will go in the future.
A situationship is often discussed as being similar to a friends-with-benefits relationship, which usually involves sexual activity without a commitment to be exclusive to each other. A situationship is often described as a relationship that is more than friendship but less than a committed relationship.
A situationship can often vary in what happens within it. It could involve casual sex, romance, dating people, spontaneous meetings, a lack of plans, a lack of emotional connection, or possibly all or none of these things.
Where does situationship come from?
Situationship combines the words situation and relationship. As the name suggests, a situationship often refers to a complex situation in which two people are in something that resembles some sort of romantic relationship but remains undefined.
One of the earliest uses of situationship was a 2006 entry on Urban Dictionary that defined the term as “any problematic relationship characterized by one or more unresolved, interpersonal conflicts, usually confused with dating.” Later entries on the site define the term less negatively but still describe it as a complex situation somewhere between a friendship and a committed romantic relationship.
The term situationship remained obscure until about the mid-2010s. Over the next several years, mainstream publications spread further awareness of the term situationship and attempted to define it. Often, the term was used to describe complex relationships in which one person wanted more out of the relationship than they currently had or were unsure of what kind of relationship they were in with another person.
Examples of situationship
Who uses situationship?
The term situationship is commonly used on social media. People, especially younger people, often use the term to describe their own or another’s complicated sexual and romantic relationships.
have you ever accidentally flirted your way into a situationship?
— maybe jay? 🇬🇭 (@Jaythekeed) March 17, 2023
no one disrupts your mental health the way that 2-year long situationship with no future does
— Erohi (@Erajoshi90) March 20, 2023
Honestly I feel like anyone with a failed situationship or short relationship could relate to it.
— ronak (@madr8i) August 25, 2023
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of situationship like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of situationship that will help our users expand their word mastery.