friendzone
friendzone Lexical Profile
friendzone Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A situation in which one person in a platonic friendship wishes to enter into a romantic or sexual relationship, while the other person wishes to remain strictly friends.
"After months of subtle hints went unnoticed, he realized he was stuck in the friendzone."
• verb
To regard or treat someone solely as a platonic friend when they desire a romantic or sexual relationship.
"She gently friendzoned him by mentioning how grateful she was to have him as a brotherly figure in her life."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often spelled as two words ('friend zone') when used as a noun, and hyphenated ('friend-zone') or written as a single word ('friendzone') when used as a verb.
• Rhymes for friendzone
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Popularized in 1994 by an episode of the American television sitcom 'Friends', in which the character Joey Tribbiani tells Ross Geller that he has waited too long to ask Rachel Green out and is now the 'mayor of the friend zone'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.