boyfriend
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- boy friend (dated)
- boy-friend (dated)
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈbɔɪˌfɹɛnd/, /ˈbɔɪfɹənd/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun edit
boyfriend (plural boyfriends)
- A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.
- Coordinate terms: fiancé, girlfriend, enbyfriend, husband, lover, significant other
- 2012, “Boyfriend”, performed by Justin Bieber:
- If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you go / I can take you places you ain’t never been before.
- A male friend.
- Synonyms: (slang) guyfriend, buddy, pal, mate; see also Thesaurus:friend
- (often attributively) A style of women's clothing that draws heavily from corresponding men's garments.Wikipedia
Usage notes edit
In contrast to its female equivalent, girlfriend, which is also often used to describe a woman's close female friend, the term is not that often used in reference to non-romantic relationships. Boyfriend is a relatively modern term, and in the past has had implications of an illicit relationship (as sexual and romantic relationships outside of marriage were more commonly frowned upon). It is now a generally accepted term and has no negative implications per se.
An adult man in a non-marital relationship is sometimes referred to instead as a significant other or partner, especially if the two partners are living together. Because boyfriend 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.
Separating the word into its two components boy friend avoids the romantic implication nowadays, although boy friend used to mean the same as boyfriend does now. However, British and Australian men usually refer to a male friend as a mate. Similarly, Americans and Canadians use the term buddy. It is also common for American and Canadian women to differentiate non-romantic male friends from romantic ones by referring to them as being their guy friend.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- → German: Boyfriend
- → Hindi: बॉयफ़्रेंड (bŏyfreṇḍ)
- → Japanese: ボーイフレンド (bōifurendo)
- → Korean: 보이프렌드 (boipeurendeu)
- → Russian: бойфре́нд (bojfrɛ́nd)
- → Urdu: بایفْرینْڈ (bayfrenḍ)
Translations edit
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Anagrams edit
Finnish edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
boyfriend (rare)
Declension edit
Inflection of boyfriend (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | boyfriend | boyfriendit | ||
genitive | boyfriendin | boyfriendien | ||
partitive | boyfriendiä | boyfriendejä | ||
illative | boyfriendiin | boyfriendeihin | ||
singular | plural | |||
nominative | boyfriend | boyfriendit | ||
accusative | nom. | boyfriend | boyfriendit | |
gen. | boyfriendin | |||
genitive | boyfriendin | boyfriendien | ||
partitive | boyfriendiä | boyfriendejä | ||
inessive | boyfriendissä | boyfriendeissä | ||
elative | boyfriendistä | boyfriendeistä | ||
illative | boyfriendiin | boyfriendeihin | ||
adessive | boyfriendillä | boyfriendeillä | ||
ablative | boyfriendiltä | boyfriendeiltä | ||
allative | boyfriendille | boyfriendeille | ||
essive | boyfriendinä | boyfriendeinä | ||
translative | boyfriendiksi | boyfriendeiksi | ||
abessive | boyfriendittä | boyfriendeittä | ||
instructive | — | boyfriendein | ||
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Synonyms edit
Further reading edit
- “boyfriend”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish] (online dictionary, continuously updated, in Finnish), Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02