Girlfriend

For other uses, see Girlfriend (disambiguation).

A young man with a possible romantic girlfriend.

Girls who are friends.

A woman and her girlfriend. (See lesbian).

Girlfriend () is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-intimate friend that is closer than other friends.

This term is often used loosely, and there is some debate over what exactly constitutes a girlfriend. In western society, it is generally agreed that "girlfriend" status begins when two people agree to date. Getting a girl to agree to such an arrangement is considered a milestone for young males, and is often seen as a sign of status, based on the perception of the girl amongst the male's peers.

Methods of attracting a partner to achieve girlfriend/boyfriend status are often varied and have been a topic of much discussion amongst both males and females, though methods and motives vary wildly.

Differing Terms Used

Though nuanced, there is a significant difference between "girlfriend" (one word) and "girl friend" (two words), or "boyfriend" (one word) and "boy friend" (two words).. In a strictly grammatical sense, a "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" is an individual with whom one shares a romantic relationship. A "girl friend" or "boy friend", however, is simply a friend identified on the basis of gender. The transition between the two is a significant aspect of adolescent development. Despite this, both forms of "girlfriend" and "girl friend" are used by different people to mean different things. For example, when the term "girlfriend" is used by a girl or woman about another female in a non-sexual, non-romantic context, the two-word form "girl friend" is sometimes used to avoid confusion with the sexual or romantic meaning. In this sense of it's usage, "Girlfriend" is used in terms of very close friends and has no sexual connotations, unless it is in the case of lesbian, bisexual or pansexual women. The term is also used in LGBT communities and can refer to people of any gender or sexuality.

Some American adolescents have taken to referring to members of the opposite sex who are not in a romantic relationship with said adolescent as a "friendgirl" or "friendboy" to help distinguish the type of relationship more easily. Others use the Spanish words "amiga" and "amigo" for the same purpose, though they are literally translated to mean female friend and male friend.

The term "girlfriend" does not necessarily imply a sexual relationship, but is often used to refer to a woman who is dating a man she is not engaged to without implying that she is having sex with him. With differing expectations of sexual mores, the term dating (when used of an activity involving a man and a woman) can imply romantic activity whereas simply using "friend" would likely avoid inferring such intimacy. It is essentially equivalent to a prior term used, "sweetheart" which is also a term of endearment.

Synonyms

• A female engaged in an extramarital relationship with a married person is frequently considered a "mistress".
• Some terms of endearment directed to females, a romantic relationship is not required, are "darling", "sweetheart", "love", "babe" etc.
• Users of Internet slang and SMS slang often shorten girlfriend to the acronym gf.
• Additionally, gender-indiscriminate terms also apply, e.g. lover, heartthrob, paramour, squeeze, sweetheart, true love, wooer, date, escort, steady or suitor, admirer, companion.
• Partners in a non-marital relationship are sometimes described instead as a significant other, partner, or life partner, especially if the two partners are living together. At times, since "girlfriend" and "partner" mean different things to different people, the distinctions between the terms are subjective, and which term is used in a relationship will ultimately be determined by personal preference.

Distinction from "lady friend"

A similar, but not equivalent, concept is the more ambiguous "lady friend" – a companion of the female gender who is possibly less than a girlfriend but potentially more than a friend. That is to say, the relationship is not necessarily platonic, nor on the other hand, is it necessarily an exclusive, serious, committed or long-term relationship. Yet, the term also avoids the overt sexual implications that come with referring a woman as someone's "mistress" or "lover." In that sense, it can often be a euphemism. Yet, this is not always the case; it is also sometimes employed when someone simply does not know the exact status of a woman that a man has been associating with. For instance, tabloid headlines often note that a celebrity has been seen with a new "lady friend."

See also

• Boyfriend
• Courtship
• Domestic partnership
• Lesbian
• Life partner
• Significant other
• Terms of endearment

Further reading

• Sociocultural Perspectives on Language Change in Diaspora David R. Andrews (1998); John Benjamins Publishing Company, ISBN 9027218358.
• The Handbook of Language and Gender By Janet Holmes, Miriam Meyerhoff (2003); Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 0631225021.
• In Your Face: Stories from the Lives of Queer Youth Mary L. Gray (1999); Haworth Press, ISBN 0789000768.
• Defining Language: A Local Grammar of Definition Sentences Geoff Barnbrook (2002); John Benjamins Publishing Company, ISBN 1588112985.
• How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms R. W. Holder (2002); Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198604025.