boyfriend
Pluralboyfriends
- 1A male partner in a romantic relationship who is not married to the other person.
He has been her boyfriend for nearly three years now.
Two of my coworkers brought their boyfriends to the office party.
UsageSome adult couples prefer partner, a more neutral word that says less about the relationship.
Similarpartner, beau, sweetheart, lover, fella
Oppositegirlfriend
Note
The choice of word says something. In 2024 Jocelyn Solis-Moreira reported on straight couples moving to partner instead, quoting the relationship coach Leah Carey: calling someone your boyfriend or girlfriend suggests several things about your relationship.
- 2A style of women's clothing modeled closely on the equivalent men's garments, typically cut looser and less fitted.
The designer's spring line leaned heavily on boyfriend silhouettes, from slouchy jackets to roomy shirts.
She layered a fitted top under a relaxed boyfriend coat.
UsageGoes before a clothing word, with no hyphen: boyfriend jeans, a boyfriend blazer.
Note
It describes the cut, borrowed from menswear and roomier and less tailored, rather than whose garment it is. Read it as a style word, the way slouchy or relaxed would be read.
Less common meaning
- 3A man who is one's friend.
Practice
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Origin
A compound formed from "boy" and "friend".
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Boyfriend is formed by compounding boy and friend. en.wiktionary.org