I think girlfriend works as that appears to be what she is. Let others decide what it means.
How do you refer to your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other?
- Thread starter Redstickjohn
- Start date
Sweet Thing, Babe, or Sexy Lady when she is around. The Old Lady or She Who Must Be Obeyed when she is not. "Yes, dear" in all circumstances.
Consort? 
Let's face it, there's no altogether satisfactory word for this.
Let's face it, there's no altogether satisfactory word for this.
As long as you don't meet any Firefly fans...in that series "Companion" refers to a high class prostitute (although it's much more complicated than that).
I've always called my spouse (for over 30 wonderful yrs together), 'Mo Shou' (Creole for Sweetie), and she calls me her 'BouBou'! 
"Love [, marriage] and caring puts the fun in together, 'I Miss You' in apart and Joy in the heart and soul". Author Unknown
Last edited:
And then... you can tell people that you are "filling jointly" the amount of time is two years by the way
- Thread starter
- #48
When in social situations, we generally simply introduce each other by our names, and just let people figure it out. We have no shame or odd feelings in our relationship, and 99% of people we meet also have no issues with our arrangement. Where we have a problem, is like in the following scenario: Waiting for a table in a restaurant, she's in the washroom, Maitre d says "One?", then I say "No, I'm waiting for my _____." I'll use girlfriend, wife, partner, date, spouse, financee, etc., just depending on how I feel at the moment. It really doesn't matter, I know, but we're always struggling for the right term. It's just not something that you think about until you're in the situation. We just wish there was a go-to term that we could use. On a side note, her two daughters call me "John", and I call them my "stepdaughters twice removed"..it's a great family joke.
A companion is also what you are called if you travel with the Doctor in the TARDIS.
Not sure why people seem to have such a hard defining their loved one's. If someone doesn't know my wife by her name then she is referred to as my wife, otherwise I use her name.
Also, the term SWMBO is kind of sad. Not sure how so many grown men let others tell them what to do, whether it's with their money or something else. Not to say I don't take care of financial responsibilities first but after that if it's something I want, I'll use the money I made to purchase it.
Also, the term SWMBO is kind of sad. Not sure how so many grown men let others tell them what to do, whether it's with their money or something else. Not to say I don't take care of financial responsibilities first but after that if it's something I want, I'll use the money I made to purchase it.
That's the thing. The OP isn't married to her and feels that the term 'girlfriend' isn't quite appropriate for people their age, and is looking for suggestions i.e. "I'm going to dinner with my_______"
I understand the OP but others seemed to have trouble with their loved ones. No one should worry so much about what others think, if you are more experience in life (aka older) who cares whether you have a girlfriend, no reason to worry about that not being the "norm".
'Ol ball and chain.
Old lady.. or the warden she does not like that one much.
Occasionally refer to her as the Commander in Chief...
I call my wife of 10 years momma (started calling her that when our first little one was born), or girlie girl. I really only use her name when talking to someone about he or trying to get her attention.
It depends on how far along we were. When we first started living together I called her "My Sweetheart." Then two years later it became "My Fiance." The a little over one year later it became "My Wife." 
On the other hand, my ex I referred to as "The *****."
On the other hand, my ex I referred to as "The *****."
Because there are connotations to each term that the people involved aren't wanting to communicate. Wife is simple and communicates everything I'd need most everyone to know about our relationship. But having been married 17 years, it's never been a complicated situation.
On the other hand I can relate to the struggle as I've tried to interpret other people's attempts at defining and describing their relationship. Saying one thing but meaning another makes it confusing to anyone trying to simply be polite. Sometimes you just want to return the "How's the wife and kids?" without being insulting.
So I resort to the Texas standard: "Y'all."
Y'all covers it all: single, plural, married, girlfriends, partners of all types, genders, pets, kids.
Hope y'all had a good weekend. Will y'all be attending the event? How many of y'all will there be?
If there is any uncertainty, you can make sure they know all of y'all are invited.
In the meantime while y'all are trying to figure out what to call yourselves, what it means, and if the appropriate term was used in a given situation, I just want to be able to wish y'all an enjoyable weekend, holiday or other event that might not be my personal business to know the details of, but nonetheless I'd like you to enjoy it because you are a valued member of the company we both work for, sometimes have polite conversations that don't always revolve around business details and generally seem friendly enough around each other.
I always use "partner" because I've not found a better alternative. Like you, I figured I outgrew a "boyfriend" around the time I graduated high school (and to me it implied a more casual relationship), and "significant other" seemed clunky. I've heard the tongue-in-cheek "cutesy" monikers like "main squeeze" and "sweetie" and such, but I could never use them seriously with a straight face.
After I read an article that claimed someone like Dear Abby had done a survey and most people chose "partner," I figured that was it. Only problem is that on rare occasions someone's not sure if I'm referring to a romantic partner or, say, a business partner, but oh well. (My most recent SO hated the term and didn't use it-- he figured people would get confused and think he was gay-- but I can't say I really care what people think, and if I did, it was never hard to somehow refer to him as "he" or "him" within a few more sentences to end any confusion.)
I'm sitting here trying to figure out if it's a typo, deliberate, or a Young Frankenstein reference.
"Companion" to me implies... well, many things, with "significant other" being far down the list. I hear it far more often referring to someone who is a helper (such as for someone older or disabled), or to a pet.
After I read an article that claimed someone like Dear Abby had done a survey and most people chose "partner," I figured that was it. Only problem is that on rare occasions someone's not sure if I'm referring to a romantic partner or, say, a business partner, but oh well. (My most recent SO hated the term and didn't use it-- he figured people would get confused and think he was gay-- but I can't say I really care what people think, and if I did, it was never hard to somehow refer to him as "he" or "him" within a few more sentences to end any confusion.)
I'm sitting here trying to figure out if it's a typo, deliberate, or a Young Frankenstein reference.
As I understand it, it's not that simple. You don't wake up one morning "married" without wanting to be. As far as I've heard, it hinges very much on intent and you must actually consider yourselves married and such.
Or even if you do say something. I'm never sure if they're just confused, or if they simply can't handle the idea that two people might be in a serious relationship without being married.
"Companion" to me implies... well, many things, with "significant other" being far down the list. I hear it far more often referring to someone who is a helper (such as for someone older or disabled), or to a pet.
A coworker was once giggling over the designation "paramour" on one of our commonly-used forms. Mind you, he'd been filling this thing out for years and never noticed that on there until that day...Consort?
Let's face it, there's no altogether satisfactory word for this.
So how does one refer to oneself + significant other, then? Us'n?
This happened to me Easter weekend. A lot. Everyone thought she was my wife. I just went with it. 
My 83 year old Dad keep saying "his Lady Friend". When he says it it sounds dignified.
My 83 year old Dad keep saying "his Lady Friend". When he says it it sounds dignified.
Similar threads
