GEN Z DATING DICTIONARY- the dating dictionary you never knew you needed

Sometimes it can be difficult to describe your relationship status to others. This is partly because dating today comes with a whole language within itself. You may have been ghosted before but have you ever been haunted by a zombie who orbited their way back into your life because they are a notorious freckler? Perhaps you have been benched in the past and fell out of love all for the sake of getting into a situationship. Navigating the dating climate of today can be treacherous, but with this Generation Z dating dictionary you are guaranteed to know your stuff and avoid any misunderstandings, whether they come in the shape of cloaking or kittenfishing. Each definition will include a rating of how painful it is to go through and will be split into green and red flags, and also complete don’t go backs! 

The Green Flag Dictionary 

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Hardballing – This one can be done to ensure everyone is on the same page from the start. It describes being upfront about what you’re looking for in a relationship at the beginning and can prevent any miscommunication. Pain level 0/10 (higher when they contradict themselves) 

Cuffing season – This is the equivalent of a group of hedgehogs settling down together to hibernate for winter. Starting a relationship and hibernating with a new partner during the colder months describes cuffing season and it can be the best time of year to settle down with someone. Pain level- 0/10

Eclipsing – Remember all those fights with your partner over who liked what first. Yup, one of you was eclipsed and it can be carried out in the name of adopting your partner’s interests or hobbies to impress them. Pain level (2/10) 

FBO (Facebook Official) –  This one tends to be associated with boomers and millennials. Telling your friends that you made your relationship Facebook official in 2024 is like telling your friends you re-downloaded Omegle. Pain Level- 0/10

R-Bombing –  This doesn’t just align with dating but it can also be carried out by anyone from your mum to your work colleagues. Getting hit with the read receipt can be frustrating, but in the context of dating it can prevent communication from flowing and can get in the way of forming a communication with your partner. Pain level- 1/10 

Stashing – Some may feel like a celebrity when doing so, or others may just be fearful of jinxing relationships at the get go. Stashing is when you  keep a relationship secret from friends, family, or social media with doubts and fears that it may not come into fruition. It can involve introducing them to your family and friends after a few months of being official but it involves a quiet slow burn until you eventually feel like you have solidified a long lasting connection with each other. Pain level- 1/10 

Caspering –  This may be the least painful of the spooky dating jargon that you have been exposed to on this list so far. A kinder form of ghosting, when someone lets you down gently before disappearing, it means they have hit you with the Casper. Like the friendly ghost, Caspering is defined by its honesty and its dedication to not leave you in the dark when it comes to communication and dating. Pain level- 6/10 

Freckling –   It is a summer affair but is simply only defined by that. A freckle is the opposite of a hot girl summer. Many ironically run into freckles when they plan on having a no commitment summer. This is a summer fling that fades as the seasons change. Sometimes freckle’s stand the test of summer and they enter cuffing season. Pain level- 4/10 

Kittenfishing – This term was truly birthed in the age of social media and it describes presenting yourself online in a misleadingly flattering way, like using heavily edited or old photos. There is nothing wrong with a bit of photoshop now and again! Pain level- 1/10 

 The Red Flag Dictionary 

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Benching – Everyone has school memories of being left on the bench during sports matches at school and it wasn’t a fun experience. This can come back to haunt you in adult life in the form of romantic benching which revolves around keeping someone on hold while pursuing other romantic interests. Pain level- 7/10 

Pocketing –  This one doesn’t revolve around starting a relationship with a pocket-sized individual. When someone refuses to introduce you to important people in their life you have been pocketed but many will not even realise this has taken place so watch out! Pain level- 6/10 

Breadcrumbing –  You don’t want to be acting out Hansel and Gretal with your significant other and you need to remember that you are deserving of the whole damn cake! This is breadcrumbing  and it describes sending flirtatious but non-committal messages to keep someone interested. Pain level- 5/10

Love bombing –  Don’t let those unwilling for commitment detonate all their empty promises onto your heart. It can be in the form of using the L word too soon or frequently telling you how amazing you are after simply glimpsing you at the bar. It can be overwhelming and can be carried out to gain control. Pain level- 7/10 

Dial-toning – Some like to collect phone numbers like stamps, and they tend to not dwell on their collection. Have you ever got someone’s number at a party fuelled by the fake promise that they will message you back but they never get back to you? You have been hit by the dial-tone and it looks like getting someone’s number at a party but ignoring their calls or texts. Pain level- 4/10 

Orbiting –  You were once their sun and moon, but now they simply orbit around your solar system.  Staying present on someone’s social media without engaging directly (e.g., liking posts but not messaging) is what orbiting looks like, and if it becomes a serious problem then the unfollow button isn’t too far away. Pain level- 5/10 

Submarining –  Submarining is like a more attractive version of zombieing yet it usually revolves around a partner who just cannot get enough of you after the break up. When someone completely disappears from your life and then reappears into it like nothing happened they have taken on the form of a submarine. Submarines prevent closure and treat you like some unexplored sea creature that requires further inspection. Treat a submarine like the Titanic and keep it shipwrecked after it originally sunk. Pain level- 6/10 

The Don’t Go Back Dictionary 

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Situationship – This describes a romantic relationship that lacks clear boundaries or labels. It involves blurred lines and it can be a long-winded affair that can detrimentally affect both parties. Pain level- 8/10 (we are starting off strong for this one) 

Cookie-jarring – This one is great…when you are at the top of the jar and the individual is hungry. This manifests in people constantly drifting in and out of your life and can be *excuse the pun* jarring when you are looking for a long-term partner to settle down with but keep on getting viewed as a quick snack for temporary pleasure. Treating someone as a backup option while pursuing others prevents you from forming any long-term, nourishing relationships. Pain level- 7/10 

Roaching – Just like a cockroach that breeds incessantly, a roach has multiple loyalties that you never agreed to in the first place when getting into a relationship with them. Also known as cheating, it can wreck relationships and give individuals trust issues for life. A roach’s desire to entertain multiple individuals at once should never be overlooked and just like you would handle any roach, requires being put out in the trash . Pain level- 10/10

Micro-cheating – Can also be known as micro-roaching, and this is when the person you are settled down with does just enough to not get called out for *official* cheating but they also engage in small, seemingly innocent actions that could be seen as infidelity on the side (e.g., flirting with someone else). Pain level 8/10 (just because it is enough to make you feel crazy and can lead onto the real thing…) 

Glamboozling –  This isn’t when you get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of outfit opportunities before a night out. Putting on your best outfit after counting down the days to see your date just for them to cancel at the last minute means that you have been hit by a case of glamboozling. At least you can save your best outfits for the best relationships. Pain level- 6/10 (this one is defined by disappointment more than pain) 

Ghosting – Be warned! Ghosting does not just take place around Halloween time. Non-communicating non-committers can lurk around any corner and in minor cases happen after a first date which one person believed went well, and it can veer on the extreme side too (in the form of marriages over the course of 20 years). Suddenly cutting off all communication without explanation is painful and can leave the executive parties with feelings of confusion and with a bunch of unanswered questions. Pain level- 10/10 

Cloaking – Glamboozling is one thing, but to be hit with the bout of cloaking that follows is a double dose of dating despair. Getting blocked after being stood up is an example of the trash taking itself out. Your date does the hard work for you with cloaking. Standing someone up on a date while also blocking them on social media can be painful but it shows the individual was never worth your time. Pain level- 9/10 

Slow fade – a slow burn relationship is one thing, but everyone is also susceptible to a slow fade break up. This is a slow but painful death of a relationship, and it describes gradually reducing communication instead of abruptly ending it. Wanting to reach out during the slow-fade process is normal especially when seeking a straight-up answer from the one you love. Pain level- 8/10 

Zombieing – Zombie’s aren’t real, but in the context of dating, they are far too common. When someone who previously ghosts you reappears in your life, you can be shocked at the ugly sight that has reared its ugly head but some zombies are always prone to come back into your life. Zombie’s may choose to orbit themselves back into your life but remember that a zombie is a zombie, they aren’t cute or deserving of being back in your life. Pain level- 7/10 

Haunting –  Everyone has a collection of haunted followers which come out around the spookiest time of the year. When someone who ghosted you still engages with your social media without any real interaction you have been hit with a case of haunting and it really comes with no reasonable outcome for both parties involved. It is unproductive but some people can live happily with their haunted followers following every online move they make. Pain level- 2/10 

Paperclipping – This can happen on the journey to find a better partner after running into a roach. When an ex reaches out intermittently just to keep a connection alive without real interest, you have been paper clipped. It is like folding the page on pursuing a better and more meaningful romance. Ex paperclip partners should be treated like any paper clip. It’s good to acknowledge the actions of paperclips when it actually matters. Most paper clips just prolong you from finding someone better suited with yourself. Pain level- 4/10 

So how many have you endured…