boyfriend

A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic and/ or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed (e.g. marital) relationships, where other titles (e.g. husband, partner) are more commonly used. The term "guy friend" can refer to a male non-romantic and non-sexual friend. Partners in committed non-marital relationships are also sometimes described as a significant other, life partner or simply partner, especially if the individuals are cohabiting. At times, since boyfriend and partner mean different things to different people, the distinctions between the terms are subjective. How the term is used will ultimately be determined by personal preference. Though nuanced, there is a significant difference between girlfriend and boyfriend on one hand, and girl friend and boy friend on the other. In a strictly grammatical sense, a girlfriend or boyfriend is an 'individual of significance' with whom one shares a relationship. In the early to mid 20th...