:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
A relationship has agreed terms — someone said what this is. A situationship skips that conversation, deliberately or otherwise, so the closeness is real while the commitment, the exclusivity and the label all stay unsettled.
Side by side
| Aspect | Situationship | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| The terms | Undefined | Agreed |
| Exclusivity | Unclear | Usually settled |
| The label | Avoided | Spoken |
| The feelings | Can be just as real | Can be just as real |
| The tension | What are we? | Ordinary |
What each one means
A situationship is a romantic or sexual relationship that's been left undefined — you're involved, but without any agreed commitment, exclusivity, or label. The absence of definition is the whole point.
Full definition of Situationship →The contrast above sets out how Relationship differs from Situationship on the points that actually matter.