{"id":15517,"date":"2017-11-09T01:00:58","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=15517"},"modified":"2023-08-29T09:25:54","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T16:25:54","slug":"dating-meaning-definition-of-dating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/single-life\/dating-meaning-definition-of-dating\/","title":{"rendered":"Dating Meaning: The Definition of Dating and What It Really Means"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The phrase ‘dating’ is extremely common, and so is the grey area that tends to follow it around. The trend of not defining a relationship<\/a> is growing more and more common, and in the wake of this trend the term has come to be a catch-all for everything from hooking up to being in an exclusive relationship<\/a>. Are you dating meaning you’re exclusive? Or are you not quite sure yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Dating’ is a word that gets hugely complicated once you unpack it, and what the term means to any given person is largely an issue of semantics, much like what a person actually means when they say they\u2019re \u201cseeing someone\u201d or \u201changing out\u201d or \u201chaving a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dating meaning: let’s get to the bottom of this<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what does it mean to be dating somebody<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The definition of dating shows us that there\u2019s a difference between dating someone and just dating. \u201cDating\u201d means you\u2019re going on dates. You are actively getting out there and meeting people and spending time with them. \u201cDating someone\u201d means you\u2019re seeing somebody specific, with purpose and on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With the understanding that the personal definition varies for everyone, I\u2019ve laid out some pretty universal parameters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can check these off your list, you are, in fact, dating someone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. You like someone and you\u2019re trying to get to know them better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. You\u2019re spending time with a person (or persons) in hopes of finding a committed relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. You can see yourself settling down (or at least entertain the idea) with the person or persons you see regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some examples of situations in which you are NOT dating someone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. You don\u2019t want a relationship<\/a> at all, and you\u2019ve been clear about that to everyone you get to know\/hook up with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The person you\u2019re getting to know\/hooking up with has been clear that they don\u2019t want a relationship at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. You don\u2019t usually see the same person more than once or twice before you move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, dating comes down to intention. If you intend to get to know someone because you\u2019re interested in seeing if there\u2019s a future there, even if it\u2019s not a down-the-aisle, Grandmother\u2019s-wedding-band future, you\u2019re dating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what \u201cdating\u201d isn\u2019t\u2014it\u2019s not exclusivity. Not guaranteed exclusivity, anyway; dating meaning exclusive is rare. Even as things grow more serious, exclusivity is something that always requires a frank conversation about what each party wants, and without that conversation, it\u2019s not safe to assume the two of you are on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of how much time has passed, how often you see each other, etc., two people being committed to each other, always requires that awful, painful, awkward conversation. Always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s recap\u2014Just because you\u2019re \u201cdating\u201d doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you\u2019re \u201cdating someone,\u201d however, if you are \u201cdating someone,\u201d you\u2019re absolutely \u201cdating.\u201d All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. I think that\u2019s an accurate analogy\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference between \u201cdating\u201d and \u201chooking up\u201d or \u201chaving fun\u201d or \u201changing out\u201d is intention. If you want to find someone to have a relationship with, you\u2019re dating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not to say that something not-so-serious cannot turn into dating, but you most definitely can\u2019t assume it will. You also can\u2019t assume that dating will turn into an exclusive and committed relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re foggy about what you\u2019re doing with someone, it\u2019s always best to have a terribly awkward chat with them. I give you permission to have a glass or three of wine first if you\u2019d like; it tends to make things easier. But just like most issues in the world of relationships, when it comes to clearing the air around the dreaded dating meaning, communication is almost always guaranteed to help any confusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dating, hooking up, seeing someone… Basically, It all comes down to intention. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":15535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[884,899],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating-advice","category-single-life"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDating Meaning: The Definition of Dating and What It Really Means<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The word 'dating' covers all manner of relationships, from exclusive couples to dating meaning... well, not much at all! 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