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.

The term is most commonly used to describe any female person who is in a romantic relationship with another person.

Partners in a non-marital relationship are also 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.

When 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. "Girlfriend" is usually used in terms of very close friends and usually has no sexual connotation in that sense of its usage, but it can, in the case of lesbian, bisexual and pansexual women. The term also has currency in LGBT communities and can refer to people of any gender or sexuality.

Though nuanced, there is a significant difference between "girlfriend" and "boyfriend", and "girl friend" and "boy friend". In a strictly grammatical sense, a "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" is an individual of significance with whom one shares a 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. Some 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 more easily.

This term when used between men and women does not necessarily imply a sexual relationship, but is often used to refer to a woman who is dating a man she was not engaged to, without implying that she is having sex with him. With the changes in sexual mores among some people, the term dating when used to indicate that an adult man and woman have gone out together on a date, 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", "lover", "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 and some more specific terms such as wooer, and gender-neutral ones like date, escort, steady or suitor; furthermore, non-gender specific euphemisms such as admirer, companion.

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."

To say "Bob is out with his lady friend," for instance, serves several purposes. First, it notes the gender of the companion, making it clear that he is not out with "the guys." Second, it notes that the association with the companion may well be romantic in nature. Third, it avoids implying that the relationship already has the attributes of a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.

An example of this phenomenon occurs in the film 9½ Weeks, when John Grey goes to purchase a bed and asks if it would be okay for his "lady friend" to lay down on it. It might have seemed presumptuous for him to call her his girlfriend, yet it would have seemed strange to ask if his "friend" could try out the bed. The term also appears in The Big Lebowski, in which "the dude" objects to Da Fino approaching his "lady friend" and then also objects to her being referred to as his "special lady."

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.