NMNK, LTR, FWB: What These Relationship Abbreviations Really Mean

Relationship abbreviations are the part of our real life and online connections. Find out what they mean and how you can use them during a romantic chat with a pretty stranger.

Why Do We Even Need Dating Acronyms?

Dating abbreviations are getting the part of our life and some people have problems with understanding and using them in their conversations. Just when you thought you learned almost all of them, more and more pop up and you find yourself searching Internet and trying to define these letters. Meanwhile it's very useful to know dating acronyms related to romantic relationships since most of modern people use them because it's a convenient and laconic way to define a romantic relationship. It will help you to find a potential partner faster and to avoid awkward situations. This guide will show you how to use these abbreviations during online dating and how to analyze profiles in dating apps.

Decoding Dating Profiles: What Acronyms Reveal About a Person?

When abbreviations move from texting into real expectations, Dating an Independent Woman: Things to Know Before You Start is a useful next read.

Are you looking for a committed relationship or are you interested in one night stand only? In dating world you will find some signs that will help to understand a user better. Let's give you some combinations of dating abbreviations:

• LTR + HWP + GSOH. A person is interested in a serious relationship ('long-term relationship'), they prefer high-weight proportional standards (so called healthy lifestyle) and value good sense of humor.
• LDR + ENM is an abbreviation meaning that a person doesn't mind long-distance relationship but at the same time they aren't going to be monogamous.
• BBW + FWB + MBA. This person is looking for curvy women and they doesn't mind extra weight at all, but at the same time they want physical intimacy without a serious relationship. MBA means that they are married but available.
• DTF + ONS. It's not the best option for people who want to spend a lot of time together and to build a family. These users look for sex only and they aren't interested in something romantic at all.
• ONS + HH. It's one night stand and 'high and horny' that implies only sexual encounter, sometimes with drugs.

Relationship Intentions & Status

Some people look for sexual activities only and some users prefer to have a regular sexual partner for something meaningful. Let's talk about the relationship goals.

• NMNK. In a dating world it means 'never married, no kids'.
• LTR. It's a serious committed relationship or 'long-term relationship'. This person doesn't look for a sexual encounter only, they would like to meet someone for deep connections.
• HTR. Another green flag for people with a serious romantic interest ('here to relationship').
• ENM or 'ethical non-monogamy'. You can chat with these users if you don't mind an open relationship where everyone can have other partners, so you don't have a right to ask your partner where they were last night.
• FWB or 'friends with benefits'. In a current situation it means you can talk about everything; you can have sex but you won't have a serious relationship with marriage and kids.

Casual & Open Relationships

If zodiac terms come up in her profile, you can compare them with Dating Libra Women: Things to Know Before You Start.

Some people don't look for 'boyfriend girlfriend' format, they find it dull or they are too busy to have serious romantic partners. We will give you some abbreviation for casual relationships.

• NSA or 'no strings attached'. There are no special things for emotional or physical fidelity or support. These people don't invest their emotions in the partner. NSA user can write something like this: 'I'm not ready for something serious right now, so we could do something nice together without an emotional involvement'.
• FWB. You can be friends but you will have sex from time to time. Your potential partner can text you: 'Hey, do you want to be FWB? We could watch a movie with wine and pizza at my place tonight'.
• ONS. One night stand person looks for a casual relationship only. It's a common dating user who could write you: 'I'll give you a fairytale this night in a wonderful hotel'. These people don't exchange phone numbers since they are not going to maintain any relationship after sex.
• DFWB. These friends with benefits are involved in a romantic connection with each other. They like you in a social media and send you gifts, they give you a lot of compliments but your relationship status will be undefined still, you aren't a couple officially.
• DTF or 'Down To F***'. Mostly it is used while chatting to show a person would like to have short term sexual relationship with someone. A user could write you that they want you right now describing all their desired in details even if you don't know each other at all.

Physical Appearance & Personality Traits

In a dating app you can see commonly used dating abbreviation related to appearance. Some of them are combined with personality acronyms, for example:

• HWP or 'height weight proportionate'. It's a simple way to say a person is of a healthy weight for their height without using exact numbers.
• BBW + GSOH (a funny girl with a good sense of humor and a curvy body).
• BBW or BHM (a big beautiful woman or man). Sometimes it's combined with ethically non monogamy or with long-term relationships. BBW users often can be MILF or mature women who look for younger guys.
• VGL or 'very good looking'. Most of these users have a high self-esteem and they look for a pretty partner with HWP (without extra weight at least).
• GSOH or 'good sense of humor'. Often it's combined with FWB format.
• TS (Transsexual) / CD (Crossdresser). In online dating it defines a gender identity. Sometimes users add their relationship goals, for example, LTR or ONS.

People use some abbreviations for describing their personality. For example, ISTJ means 'Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging' and ENFP means 'Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving'. Bear in mind that people who write about their personal traits often want to have something serious. This way you will understand if their mood and temper suit you.

Gender Identity & Expression

Gender expression implies to the various ways in which users of dating apps choose to express their gender identity. You can meet abbreviations like TS (Transsexual) / CD (Crossdresser) which means a user likes to wear the clothes of the opposite sex and sometimes they define themselves as the opposite gender. Also gender identity might be described with such words as 'gay', 'lesbian' or 'bisexual' (Bi or Bi+). Sometimes you can face the word 'cis' meaning cisgender. A term describes a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth. The abbreviation GAS means Gender-Affirming Surgery. It's a medical procedure that involves surgical alteration to one's body that are correlated with their transition goals. Genderfluid is a person who does not identify with a single gender or has a fluid or unfixed gender identity.

The term 'ace' or 'asexual' means a user isn't interested in experience sexual attraction at all and they would like to have a platonic relationship only. Bear in mind that asexual spectrum is different and sometimes a person doesn't want to have a penetration but doesn't mind oral sex or kissing.

Some people describe themselves 'aro' or 'aromantic'. They don't like romantic gestures, hugging and cuddling and often they look for friendship or a physical relationship only.

Red Flags in Acronyms: What to Watch Out For?

Some dating niches have their own language too, including the habits covered in How to date a gamer: the essential tips.

Modern dating has a lot of tricky things and strange phrases but it's important to analyze profiles. Read the description and look at the user's photos. Pay attention to abbreviations and if you don't know some of them, read our guide to decipher unknown words. We will give you some red flags in acronyms that will show it will be hard to build something serious with a person:

• VGL + DTF. If a person writes about themselves they are very good looking, it could show you they are selfish and love themselves too much. And DTF means you can't count on something serious or even on a mutual respect.
• ONS + HWP. When people look for sex only with a conventionally beautiful girl or man, it means they discriminate other users who don't match their high expectations.
• MBA means that a person is married but they feel free to flirt or have sex with other people. More likely that their spouse isn't informed about their intentions.
• NSA. Sometimes it's nice just to have fun together, but sooner or later you will probably would like to meet a partner who is able to listen to you and to give you more support. If you are interested in sexual connections now, it's ok, but think about your future goals also.
• MILF. If someone look for a mature woman, it's completely fine, but sometimes acronyms like BBW or MILF are related with objectivation and have nothing to do with deep and meaningful connections.

If you aren't sure about a person's goals, you can ask them about it frankly before you reject someone. Sometimes an open dialogue is the best way to clarify people's intention. If a user avoids these answers, you better find someone else who will respect your interest and needs.

While analyzing dating profiles, turn on your intuition. The more detailed info a person gives about themselves, the better. If you see the single photo without a face or in the sunglasses, without any description, better skip this user. Unfortunately, some people aren't sincere, so they can use a dating site for having fun and for resting from their family routine.

Thus, dating acronyms are short abbreviations that people use to describe their intentions and their personality. Knowing these expressions, you will find people who will be the perfect match for you. This article will help you to learn something new about modern dating and to analyze profiles before starting a dialogue.