Relationships Talk

You might consider yourself a bit of a dating expert. You’ve got your Bumble intro line down and your Tinder bio has been reviewed by at least three friends. You know which emoji to use and when. You’ve mastered the perfect ‘woke-up-like-this’ selfie. This ain’t your first time at the rodeo.

This is exactly what I thought when I saw a recent email from eHarmony. Dating in the modern world, the subject line screamed, the millennial terms you’ve never heard of.

Pur-lease, I thought. Do I look like some kind of amateur? I’ve been on more blind dates than most people have had hot dinners (yes, I’m aware how depressing that sentence is, thank you). I’m pretty sure whatever you’ve got, eHarmony, I’ve already heard about it, seen it happen, and then bitched to my friends about it over cocktails.

Oh how wrong I was. Although there were a few I was sadly familiar with, there were some that I genuinely had never heard of.

So without further ado, for your education and amusement, I present our comprehensive list of millennial dating terms.

1. Gatsbying

This term was coined by Aussie model Matilda Dods and is something we have without a doubt all been guilty of. If you’re confused I’d ask you to cast your mind back to English class and remember all those opulent parties Gatsby threw just to get Daisy’s attention. Now replace party with Instagram story and you’ve got the idea. This is for every social media post you’ve made just in case that special someone is watching.

2. Negging

This is that guy that messages you on Tinder saying he’s usually only into blondes but for you he’s willing to make an exception. You’re kind of offended but also a little flattered. Like it or not, your interest is piqued. This is negging, my friend. And it’s more common than you think with 25 per cent of respondents to eHarmony’s survey revealing that they had recently been negged.

3. Bread crumbing

This is another one we’re all guilty of. If you think you’re exempt then ask yourself if you’ve ever sent a potential lovely a text just to let them know you’re thinking of them. Just a little something to keep them interested? Yeah I thought so.

4. Benching

This is another extremely common one. Hands up if this scenario sounds familiar: you’ve been seeing someone for a while but you’re not anything official. You don’t talk all the time, but get together sometimes to have fun. Every time you think it’s finally played itself out, another text magically appears. Congratulations, you’ve officially been benched. Like 49 per cent of survey respondents under the age of 34, you’re being kept hanging just in case.

5. Sneating

Okay this is one that I’ve 100% done. You know when you’re chatting with someone and you’re not really feeling it but then they suggest a date at your favourite restaurant? You know this isn’t going anywhere but you also really want the vegan spaghetti. This is sneating and apparently girls are way more guilty of it than guys.

Plus, zombie-ing

So you know what ghosting is. Well zombie-ing is the next level. It’s the person that randomly disappeared a year ago, only to slide back into your DM’s one night to ask how you’re doing. As with actual Zombies, proceed with caution.

While we’re on the topic of dating, here are the 3 most compatible star sign pairings and why starting a new relationship could be your ticket to weight loss.

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