Language is ever evolving and new words are developed to better communicate what we mean. Check the new relationship and sex terms I wrote about in 2017 which was published in Huffington Post, 2022 and 2023.

This year, I decided to gathering new words that I’ve learned.

These are my new words from 2024! Let me know if they are new to you?

1. Airport crush – Some individuals say they feel heightened sexual tension with other people their age while traveling
2. Alice – an acronym for a group of Americans who are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed
3. DINK lifestyle – dual income, no kids
4. Fraysexuality – means that you are sexually attracted to people who don’t know particularly well
5. Meet-cute – a cute, charming, or amusing first encounter between romantic partners (as in a movie)
6. Hoodfishing – lying about one’s location
7. “OOMF” stands for “One Of My Friends.” – It refers to someone in a general sense without naming them directly
   Alternatives: Other terms that can be used similarly to “OOMF” include:
   “OFM”: “One of my friends”
   “FOM”: “Friend of mine”
   “BFF”: “Best friend forever”
   “COW”: “Closest one to me”
8. Porn Dosing – the practice involves listening to porn in short bursts throughout the week for a pleasure boost
9. Sexual citizenship – refers to people’s right to say yes to the sex they want and no to the sex they don’t want, as well as their understanding that other people have an equivalent right
10. Sexual project – Fall under Accruing sexual experience, seeking pleasure, connecting with another person
    emotionally, defining oneself and impressing others
11. Social Infertility – the inability to have children due to the lack of a partner
12. Situationswitch – describes how, at the end of a situationship, one person often rewrites the history of the relationship, downplaying its significance to minimize their responsibility for the emotional pain caused. This act can feel like gaslighting, as it invalidates the other person’s feelings and experiences
13. Sleep divorce – Snoring, body heat, restless legs, insomnia, different schedules and a yearning for personal space are just some of the reasons why some happy couples choose to sleep apart, whether in separate beds in the same room, or in separate rooms altogether
14. Soft Travel – living in a way that’s less stressful, less busy and more fulfilling
15. Shut-up ring – used to pacify or relieve some pressure that’s going on in a relationship” instead of symbolizing a step a couple wants to take together

References:

1. Broadwater, A. (2024, July 29). You should absolutely try TikTok’s “Soft travel” trend for your next trip. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-soft-travel-tiktok_l_669fc274e4b006a939846a39?utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hp-us-reg-morning-email_2024-07-29&utm_term=us-morning-email&email_hash=526bc97f9a364a58960fd8b8f6024ea522391021
2. Desk, T. L. (2024, August 14). What is hoodfishing, the latest dating trend rooted in lies? The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/what-is-hoodfishing-the-latest-dating-trend-rooted-in-lies/articleshow/112531752.cms
3. Erb, J. P. (2023, December 26). Introducing the hottest new place for singles: the airport. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/why-do-people-seem-more-attractive-at-the-airport-crush-2023-12?utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=Insider_Today
4. Giddings, A. (2024, July 16). I listen to porn in the supermarket – it’s my mood-boosting secret. Metro. https://metro.co.uk/2024/07/16/listen-porn-supermarket-mood-boosting-secret-21123158/
5. Grindell, S. (2024, August 14). Did you just get a shut-up ring? A wedding therapist shares how to spot the red flags.Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/shut-up-ring-proposal-wedding-therapist-relationship-red-flag-2024-8?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_Insider%20Today,%20August%2015,%202024
6. Kaplan, J. (2023, December 1). There’s never been a better time to be a DINK. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/net-worth-dink-child-free-couples-win-the-economy-2023-10
7. Kibbe, K. (2024, July 29). The situationswitch is the most devastating part of a situationship breakup. Cosmopolitan. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a61727549/situationswitch/
8. meet-cute. (2024). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meet-cute
9. Sheidlower, N., & Kaplan, J. (2024, April 18). More and more Americans are becoming “ALICEs.” They can’t afford rent and groceries but are falling through the cracks in the country’s safety net. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/middle-class-americans-earning-above-poverty-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-2024-4?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_9627198&utm_term=marketing_email&=
10. Raising strong sexual citizens. (n.d.). Columbia Magazine. https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/raising-strong-sexual-citizens#:~:text=Hirsch%3A%20Sexual%20citizenship%20refers%20to,relevant%20to%20sexual%2Dassault%20prevention.
11. What is a Sexual Project? (2022). [Book]. In Sexual Citizens. https://www.knox.edu/documents/TitleIX/D2C/TalkAboutItTuesday/Sexual-Project.pdf
12. What is a sleep divorce? A look at the growing trend in the US. (2024, June 28). [Video]. TODAY.com. https://www.today.com/health/sleep/sleep-divorce-rcna35021#

About Dr. Martha Tara Lee