From cuffing season to orbiting and yassify, the A to (Generation) Z of modern dating terms – how many do you know?
Finding your perfect match has its challenges, and Gen Z boasts an ever-evolving glossary of terms to describe their romantic lives.
Advertisement
To help you keep up, read our A-Z of modern dating lingo and know your DINKs from your kittenfishers.
A – Affordating
: Low-cost dates, like a picnic in the park or a romantic stroll, if you can't afford fancy flowers and expensive meals.
B – Benching
: Keeping a potential partner on the back burner while you pursue others.
C – Cuffing season
: Spanning from October to just after Valentine's Day, this is the time it's deemed best to commit to a relationship.
Advertisement
READ MORE ON GEN Z
D – DINK
: Both working and you've got no kids? Lucky you — you're a DINK. The acronym stands for 'dual income, no kids'.
E – Ethical non-monogamy
: It's not cheating if you talk about it first — or so say believers in this dating style, where couples agree to have other partners.
F – FLR:
A 'female led relationship' sees traditional gender roles flipped. Women make the majority of the decisions or earn the most money. It should hardly be worthy of comment in 2025!
G – Green flag:
The opposite of red flag, this term is used by Gen Z for positive qualities in a romantic partner, such as being a good listener, sharing interests or getting on with your friends.
Advertisement
Most read in The Sun
H – Hard launch
: Not just for celebs, this is where one or both partners confirm the relationship on social media with pics or a status change.
I – Ick
:
The things i've learned as a gen-z traveller
J – Jekylling
: When someone shows you their 'best self' at first, but later reveals a much darker or toxic side. Named after alter-egos Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
K – Kittenfishing
: If catfishing is creating a completely fake online ID, then kittenfishing is its less extreme cousin. It involves, for example, using old photos or exaggerating qualities.
Advertisement
L – Love bombing
: Showering a potential partner with excessive affection and gifts early in a relationship.
M – Micro-cheating
: Any blurred-line interactions which could be seen as cheating, such as private messaging someone of the opposite sex without your partner knowing or even liking their Insta snaps.
N – Negging
: Using insulting or negative comments about someone.
O – Orbiting
: Being ghosted means never hearing from someone again — but an 'orbiter' is an ex who lurks, watching your social media.
Advertisement
P – Pocketing
: When a date avoids introducing you to friends and family or posting about you on social media, keeping you 'in their pocket'.
Q – Quiet quitting
: The act of emotionally disengaging from a relationship without actually ending it.
R – Rizz
: Shorthand for the word charisma, rizz is the ability to charm and attract someone using confidence, style or good chat.
S – Ship
: To ship two people means you're rooting for them to be together.
Advertisement
T – Talking stage
: The period before a couple commit to a relationship, but do have some level of romantic or sexual involvement — which, confusingly, often goes beyond just talking.
U – Undercover dating:
Otherwise known as sneaking around, this is when you keep a relationship secret as you get to know each other.
V – Vibe check
: Basically a first date, and a chance to check if you click.
W – Win:
A successful move in dating or flirting, like scoring a kiss.
Advertisement
X – Xennial dating
: The outdated practices of Gen X and millennials. If you prefer face-to-face to WhatsApp and have never used Hinge, this term may well apply to you.
Y – Yassify
: To make yourself look good to impress.
Z – Zombieing
: When someone who ghosted you suddenly reaches out, it's like they are back from the dead — hence, zombieing.
1
Gen Z boasts an ever-evolving glossary of terms to describe their romantic lives
Advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
BBC Breakfast chaos as now host Charlie Stayt faces probe after string of complaints amid claims against Naga Munchetty
Stayt's conduct has been put under the spotlight after a probe was launched into the award-winning show's director, Richard Fredian MORE CHAOS BBC Breakfast chaos as now host Charlie Stayt faces probe after string of complaints amid claims against Naga Munchetty BBC Breakfast's Charlie Stayt is joining co-host Naga Munchetty 'under review' after a string of complaints. The process will decide if Stayt, 63, and Munchetty, 50, will face a formal investigation. Advertisement 3 BBC Breakfast's Charlie Stayt is being probed after a string of complaints Credit: Pixel8000 3 He joins co-host Naga Munchetty who has been accused of bullying Credit: Pixel8000 Crew are said to have pointed to 'rudeness' and 'bullying' as well as behaviour that 'undermines staff' — with Munchetty shouldering much of the criticism. But Stayt's conduct has also been put under the spotlight after a probe was launched into the show's director, Richard Frediani. A source said: 'A number of people have come forward to share their experiences with Charlie, so the BBC has officially moved to place the complaints under review. 'Charlie and Naga will be assessed separately.' Advertisement Bosses called in an external consultant to examine Frediani's conduct and the director has returned to work. A BBC spokesman said: 'While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values.' The Sun revealed this week that Munchetty "went ballistic" at an intern for getting her porridge wrong, an insider claimed. The insider previously worked with Munchetty on BBC Breakfast and revealed the host was an "absolute nightmare" and would "kick off about the smallest of issues". Advertisement The source has claimed that under-fire BBC presenter Naga has a reputation for going "ballistic" at junior staff. An insider told the Mail: "She has a reputation for going at young members of staff and making them out to be fools. Naga Munchetty at centre of 'bullying' row with BBC Breakfast boss as probe launched into 'toxicity' on set "She would kick off about the smallest of issues, including one time she went ballistic over her breakfast not being prepared exactly how she likes it by an intern." Munchetty refused to eat porridge delivered to her by an intern during an ad break as it was too hot for her to eat in the time she had. Advertisement
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Hollyoaks star breaks silence over ‘never done before' shock exit after he's killed off
The actor has confirmed he has left the show in an exclusive chat with The Sun HOLLYOAKS star Charlie Wernham has confirmed he's left the show after his character Robbie Roscoe was revealed to have been murdered. The actor - who has played Robbie over 12 years on and off - admitted he's gutted to be missing the soap's 30th anniversary in October, but is hoping for a ghostly return at some point. Advertisement 2 Hollyoaks serial killer Jez Blake has struck again 2 Charlie Wernham has confirmed he has left the show as Robbie Roscoe Speaking exclusively to The Sun, he said: 'Is It's always sad when you finish the job. 'It's a massive shame to say goodbye to the character and not going to be able to play him anymore but to be fair, I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to play him again. 'So I'm very happy that the opportunity come around to come back and bring the character back and is quite interesting ending so I'm quite satisfied.' Viewers watched today and discovered that the Robbie they'd seen over the past few months, trapped in serial killer Jez Blake's shed, was actually a vision in Jez's head. Advertisement And the ghostly appearance has given him hope that Robbie could make a further appearance once day back in the village. 'I always say it is Hollyoaks you know a lot of come out from the dead who knows,' he said. 'I never said never the first time so I'll never say never again so we'll see what happens but as of now as at this moment Robbie is gone.' He said of missing the 30th: 'It is gutting actually. Advertisement 'It has been so lovely going back and I've done everything I wanted to do and it worked out brilliantly and that is the only seeing if I was being really greedy I would've loved to have done it but to the contract just didn't fall over that that time and date which is a shame because I was there for the 21st and I was 21 and I'm 30 now I'd love to be the 30th. 'But I knew that would only be at least three months and then I got to come back for a year and I knew it knew it gonna be a year. Cheating scandal, rival soap star and huge shocks in Hollyoaks' explosive summer trailer 'But we didn't know what the end was gonna be. I haven't really thought about it the whole time to be honest I just assume because the character is gonna come back maybe I just do the same thing again. 'He was every time I have to leave to do another job or have a bit of a break or ever will be always kind of went on the run so I assumed we might go on the run again. Advertisement 'I'm really pleased that's just not the same old and that because he means it's a little bit different and little bit special. 'And I don't know if it's been done before it might have certainly not something I've seen or done so I think actually to close the door on it in a way that you know it was very different and a bit of a risk.'
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Axed MasterChef star ‘lined up for I'm A Celebrity appearance' as BBC show controversially returns to air, say bookies
THE axed hosts of MasterChef are hot favourites to get a second chance at TV fame, according to bookies. Shamed MasterChef presenters, Gregg Wallace and John Torode, are heading the odds for the next edition of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 5 Former MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode are in the running for I'm A Celeb, according to bookmakers Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 The embattled pair might have a second chance at TV fame after being sacked by the BBC Credit: PA 5 The duo are tipped to enter the jungle Credit: BBC The BBC fired the hosts from the popular cooking program after a report revealed more than 40 historic complaints against Gregg had been upheld, along with a claim that John once used a racist term. Gregg is a short 4/1 to head to the Aussie jungle in November while John is sitting closely behind him at 6/1 odds, according to betting agency William Hill. Other big names tipped to star on I'm A celeb, according to betting odds include, boxer Tyson Fury, TV star Denise Van Outen and Coronation Street star, Will Mellor. The Beeb has decided to go ahead with airing the new season of MasterChef, which features Gregg and John as hosts, because it was recorded before the report was commissioned. 'News that the BBC will be airing the new series of MasterChef with Gregg Wallace and John Torode despite sacking the pair last month has prompted speculation about where they might appear next, and we've added both to our market for who will take part in I'm A Celebrity this year," said Lee Phelps, spokesperson for William Hill. Series 21 of MasterChef hit the BBC today and fans noticed huge changes. As the six amateur cooks made their first dishes for John, 60, and Gregg, 60, they noted how the 'banter' between the hosts was virtually non-existent. Interaction between the hosts and contestants had also been edited back. Instead, the interactions were much more factual about the dishes themselves and the contestants' backgrounds. Gregg had hosted MasterChef alongside John since 2005 and has also fronted other BBC programmes including Inside the Factory and Supermarket Secrets. Gregg and John Gone In an explosive sit down interview with The Sun, Gregg said that he was not a 'groper, a sex pest or a flasher'. He also backed John, who had an allegation of racism upheld against him, during the probe into Wallace's behaviour on July 15. Gregg told The Sun: 'He is not a racist.' The dossier into Wallace's behaviour included a complaint that an unnamed person used a racial phrase once several years ago. Torode confirmed it referred to him, but said: 'I have absolutely no recollection of this, and I do not believe that it happened.' 5 The new I'm A Celeb series is due to start in November Credit: Rex
