Situationship
Etymology
A blend of "situation" and "relationship," which surfaced in dating discourse in the 2010s. The word does its work by fusing the vagueness of "situation" onto the structure of "relationship." It marks a connection real enough to matter but too unsettled to name.
noun · /sit-choo-AY-shun-ship/
A romantic or sexual connection that has the intimacy of a relationship but deliberately avoids the labels, commitments, or definition of one.
What it names
The increasingly common in-between state that "dating" and "together" both miss, useful precisely because its defining feature is undefinedness.
Example
We’ve been in a situationship for a year and I still couldn’t tell you what we are.
Related idea
A fling is understood by both people to be brief and low-stakes; a situationship is defined by ambiguity, often with one person quietly wanting more.
See also