What Are the Different Types of Relationships?

35 Terms
to Know
healthline.com/health/types-of-relationships

Terms A to C

Accepting

In the context of relationships, accepting refers to the act of learning to embrace your
partner(s) for who they are — including their traits, behaviors, and needs — at the present
moment and as they shift over time.

The process of genuinely accepting your partner involves reflecting on your potential
tendency to change, judge, or become easily irritated by aspects of who they are or how
they behave.

Active/passive

Active and passive describes a power dynamic frequently observed between partners in
relationships and families.

An active/passive dynamic can appear in many areas of the relationship. For example:

household chores
initiating foreplay or sex
having difficult conversations
taking on financial responsibilities
prioritizing health and well-being

Typically, the person who takes the initiative or makes a decision in the situation is
considered the active person.

The person who remains unresponsive, disengaged, apathetic, or overpowered (physically

or emotionally) is the passive person.

Allosexual

This word and category describe those who experience sexual attraction.

Use of this term helps normalize the experience of being asexual and provides a more
specific label to describe those who aren’t part of the asexual community.

Asexual

Asexual identity or orientation includes individuals who experience little or no sexual

attraction to others of any gender.
Asexual can also refer to the spectrum of asexuality that includes a number of other
sexual and romantic identities that describe those who experience little sexual attraction
or none at all.

Balanced

A balanced relationship is one where there are equal and healthy amounts of giving and
taking.

Considering the amount of affection, energy, love, and support you give and receive in a
relationship is a good way to assess which areas feel balanced, and which areas could
use more attention or intention.

What balance looks like in each relationship may be different, and is dependent upon
each person involved feeling valued, respected, and getting their needs met.

Basically or close friends

These terms describe a platonic bond that most often exists between two friends that
have a great deal of love, care, and nonromantic affection for one another.

These types of relationships can often resemble sexual or romantic relationships in terms
of time spent, care, and commitment, but often don’t include the sexual or romantic
elements.

Platonic relationships between close friends frequently involve flirtation, admiration, and
commitment, but don’t indicate anything about any party’s sexual or romantic attraction
or preferences.

Casual

This describes a type of relationship that is not yet defined or labeled and often requires
less commitment than relationships that are formal, or not casual.

Given the somewhat vague nature of the word, it’s hard to know exactly what someone
means when they describe a relationship this way.

The meaning and expectations attached to casual relationships can vary greatly from
person to person.

For example, some casual relationships are sexual, while others aren’t.

It’s important to speak with friends and partners about how you define a casual
relationship to ensure you’re on the same page and can respect one another’s needs and
boundaries.
Changing or working hard

These terms refer to the act of putting energy into shifting aspects of the relationship or
individual involved in the relationship.

This “work” is often rooted in the desire for improvement or increased happiness in the
relationship.

While changing or working hard in a relationship can be a sign of commitment, it can also
be a sign of incompatibility or that one person is not getting their emotional or physical
needs met.

Civil union

Also known as a civil partnership, civil union refers to the legally binding union between
two parties.

This type of legally recognized partnership only provides state-level legal protections and
privileges.

The terms associated with civil unions vary from state to state and don’t afford people
the same federal protections and benefits as marriage does.

Codependent

This is a relationship dynamic that lacks the emotional and physical boundaries that are
necessary to have a healthy and respectful relationship long-term relationship.

Though the term codependent is sometimes used to describe people or personal traits, it
more accurately captures behaviors, actions, or tendencies.

Codependency can take different forms, but some signs are:

taking on your partners’ issues

taking care of them, sometimes at the cost of not caring for yourself
losing touch with who you are as an independent person
lacking your own relationships
putting your partner’s needs before your own

Cohabitation

This refers to the act of living in the same household as someone you’re in a relationship
with.

Partners can make the decision to cohabitate in any stage of a relationship, and for a
variety of reasons that might be connected to:

the stage of the relationship

 personal values
financial benefits
convenience
practicality

Different people attach different values and assumptions to taking the step to cohabitate,
so it’s important to speak openly about what this step means in the context of your
relationship(s).

Committed

This describes a relationship that includes intention and accountability, with regard to:

time spent
level of prioritization
desire to work through conflict
openness to a future or long-term engagement
dedication to meeting one another’s needs

Courtship

This term describes the period of time before two people formally engage in a
relationship that involves a long-term commitment to a future together.

The values and intentions ascribed to a given courtship can change from person to
person, culture to culture, and relationship to relationship.

Terms D to K

Dating

This is the act of participating in a shared activity with the intention of spending time with
or getting to know someone.

Dating, or going on a date, is often a first step in exploring a platonic, romantic, or sexual
interest or attraction to someone.

The expectations associated with dating can change from person to person and culture
to culture.

Speaking about what dating means to you can help foster communication, honesty, and
trust in the early stages of getting to know someone you’re platonically, romantically, or
sexually interested in or attracted to.
Disconnected

In the context of a relationship, disconnected refers to distant feelings or a lack of

emotional connection.

Emotional disconnection is often a result of one or more of the following:

not getting your needs met

looking for someone outside the relationship to meet those needs
lack of communication
incompatibility

Dominating

Dominating, or dominant, can be used to describe traits associated with a person or a

relationship dynamic.

Often viewed in opposition to “submissive,” dominating refers to the act of asserting

physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or psychological control in a relationship, situation,
or particular interaction.

When a person or relationship dynamic has dominating qualities, it can cause a

temporary or ongoing power imbalance in a relationship.

For some, this shift in power is a positive thing and contributes to aspects of
compatibility and attraction.

For others, this shift can be experienced as threatening, disrespectful, or nonconsensual.

Discussing your observations about dominance and dominating traits in a relationship

can help you and your partners approach power dynamics with honesty and intention,
while also providing you with a deeper understanding of the role this power dynamic
plays in your relationship.

Domestic partnership

This describes a type of relationship that involves two people who are cohabitating and in
a relationship with one another but aren’t legally married.

Although domestic partnership is a legal status, it doesn’t provide the same benefits,
rights, or privileges as civil unions or marriages.

Engagement

This refers to the period of time in a relationship before a formal, legal, or ceremonial
commitment, but after the parties involved agree to this future commitment.
Some people associate engagement with a proposal from one person to another or giving
the gift of a ring, while others may not attach a particular action, item, or tradition to
entering this stage of a relationship.

Friends with benefits

This term describes a relationship that includes elements of friendship, with the addition
of another relationship dynamic, often romantic or sexual attraction.

The particular benefits that come in addition to friendship is determined by each person
involved and can vary from relationship to relationship.

Some people use the term to communicate their desire to keep things casual or have the
opportunity to see other people.

Others use this term to indicate that they want the relationship to resemble that of a
friendship but have the benefit of sex or physical intimacy.

Terms L to Q

Long distance

This is used to describe relationships between people who aren’t geographically or

physically in the same place and don’t have the opportunity to see one another in person
as often as they would if they lived in the same town, city, state, or country.

Marriage

Generally speaking, marriage refers to a formal commitment in the form of a socially

defined and legally binding agreement between people that joins their lives and grants
them specific rights and privileges.

It’s important to remember the waymarriage is defined — in both social and legal terms —
changes depending on geographic location, culture, religion, and personal values.

Monogamous

This describes a type of relationship in which the people involved agree to have only one
primary mate, romantic interest, or sexual partner.

This type of relationship can also be referred to as “being exclusive.”

Monogamous is most often associated with people in dyadic relationships, also known
as couples.
It may also be used to refer to more than two people who are in an exclusive relationship
and all commit to only being in a physical, romantic, or sexual relationship with one
another.

Nonmonogamous

Nonmonogamous describes a type of relationship that allows for physical, romantic, or

sexual interaction or relationships with more than one person or in more than one
committed relationship.

Open

This is an informal term that describes a type of relationship that allows for physical,
romantic, emotional, or sexual interactions in more than one relationship.

Some open relationships are structured around a committed primary relationship, while
others don’t centralize or prioritize one relationship over other present or future
interactions that have a physical, emotional, romantic, or sexual element.

Partner

This is an inclusive term used to refer to someone you’re in a relationship with or have
loving, emotional, romantic, or sexual feelings towards.

Partner is often paired with another term to more specifically convey the type of partner a
particular person is and to provide additional information or context about the
partnership in a given situation.

Some examples include:

romantic partner
sexual partner
partner for life
partner in love
parenting partner
partner in marriage

Platonic

This describes a relationship or friendship that can be intimate and loving but doesn’t
involve physical, emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction or interactions.

Polyamorous

This is a type of relationship or relationship dynamic that allows for more than one
emotional, romantic, or sexual relationship at a given time.
Polygamous

Unlike polyamorous — which allows for multiple relationships that are self-defined or
based in an agreement or terms determined solely by those involved in the relationship —
polygamous refers to the practice of polygamy.

Polygamy describes a relationship dynamic that’s based on the desire to have multiple
legal or culturally recognized marriages or spouses.

Terms R to Z

Rebound

This describes the period of time immediately following a shift in a relationship dynamic
or the conclusion of a relationship.

When the word rebound is used to describe a person, it’s typically directed toward the
person who is the object of attention, affection, love, romantic, or physical attraction of
someone who has recently ended or changed the terms of a relationship.

Relationship anarchy

Also known as RA, relationship anarchy is a term coined by queer feminist Andie
Nordgren.

It refers to a relationship type or dynamic that only includes rules, expectations, roles, and
agreements intentionally endorsed by the individuals involved in the given relationship(s).

The exact terms and values of a relationship anarchist vary from person to person and
relationship to relationship, but often have similarities in regard to core beliefs, such as
nonmonogamy and lack of hierarchy.

Significant other

This is an inclusive and gender-neutral way to refer to someone that you’re in a

relationship with or dating.

This term is vague and can be used to describe an individual engaged in a wide variety of
relationship types, including (but not limited to) those that are monogamous,
polyamorous, casual, formal, committed, or open.

Sexual partner

This is an inclusive way to describe a relationship with someone who you engage in sex
or have physical intimacy with.
Spouse

Similar to significant other, this is a gender-neutral term that describes someone engaged
in a legal partnership, such as a marriage or civil union.

Temporary or just for now

These terms are informal ways to describe relationships that don’t include intentions of a
longer-term or future commitment from one or more of the involved parties.

Toxic

This describes a relationship dynamic that’s one or more of the following:

damaging
unhealthy
unbalanced
controlling
codependent
emotionally draining
socially isolating
destabilizing
abusive