What's Another Word for Boyfriend?
I have been in a romantic relationship for the last five years with a man. We're both single, in our 40s, never been married, and not living together, and no plans to co-habitate.
When we are together on social occasions, he introduces me as his 'girlfriend', or alternatively I introduce him as my 'boyfriend'. This whole 'girlfriend'/'boyfriend' label makes me uncomfortable. To some extent, it feels juvenile and transitory, as if hearkening back to my high school days. And yet, when I search for a more appropriate term reflective of our maturity, monogamy and heterosexuality, no words come to mind that can cover the nuances of the relationship.
The words I've come across are all perfectly valid but seem so earnest and aspiring while one-sided in some respect, and perhaps with even a slight touch of neediness thrown in:
1. romantic partner
2. significant other
3. life companion
4. life partner
5. lover
6. special friend
I won't even come near those slangy terms (e.g. "my other half", "my man"). There is also the fact-based, but cop-out approach, which involves referring to him as "my friend". Or, I can entirely avoid the label itself, and just use the first name as part of the introduction ("This is Paul ..."), and let the other party infer the nature of the relationship.
I may not totally give up on the term "boyfriend" if no other word comes to mind. After all, it does conjure up a nostalgic view of my teen or early adult self meeting someone new and the promise of that relationship. That feeling, I hope, I will never outgrow, even with the man I am with now.
When we are together on social occasions, he introduces me as his 'girlfriend', or alternatively I introduce him as my 'boyfriend'. This whole 'girlfriend'/'boyfriend' label makes me uncomfortable. To some extent, it feels juvenile and transitory, as if hearkening back to my high school days. And yet, when I search for a more appropriate term reflective of our maturity, monogamy and heterosexuality, no words come to mind that can cover the nuances of the relationship.
The words I've come across are all perfectly valid but seem so earnest and aspiring while one-sided in some respect, and perhaps with even a slight touch of neediness thrown in:
1. romantic partner
2. significant other
3. life companion
4. life partner
5. lover
6. special friend
I won't even come near those slangy terms (e.g. "my other half", "my man"). There is also the fact-based, but cop-out approach, which involves referring to him as "my friend". Or, I can entirely avoid the label itself, and just use the first name as part of the introduction ("This is Paul ..."), and let the other party infer the nature of the relationship.
I may not totally give up on the term "boyfriend" if no other word comes to mind. After all, it does conjure up a nostalgic view of my teen or early adult self meeting someone new and the promise of that relationship. That feeling, I hope, I will never outgrow, even with the man I am with now.
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