Cushioning: Meaning, Signs, and Dating Behavior
Cushioning means keeping possible romantic or sexual alternatives interested while already dating someone, often as protection against a future breakup.
Cushioning means keeping possible romantic or sexual alternatives interested while already dating someone, often as protection against a future breakup.
Future faking involves using attractive promises about commitment or a shared life to influence someone without sincere or realistic plans to follow through.
A slow fade is the gradual withdrawal of attention and communication from a dating connection without a clear conversation ending the relationship.
A group date is a dating-related social outing involving several people, such as multiple couples, single participants, or friends supporting a new connection.
A soft launch is a gradual or indirect introduction. In dating, it often means hinting at a relationship online without clearly identifying the partner.
Ambiamory is the capacity or preference to feel fulfilled in either monogamous or polyamorous relationships, depending on compatibility and circumstances.
A polycule is a network of people connected through polyamorous relationships, including direct partners, metamours, and other indirectly connected partners.
A comet relationship is an intermittent romantic, sexual, or emotional connection in which partners reconnect meaningfully after long periods apart.
A metamour is the romantic or sexual partner of one’s own partner but not necessarily one’s direct partner within a consensually non-monogamous relationship.
Dirty word is an informal phrase for language considered obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, offensive, or socially unacceptable.