The term partner

[Mercy]

Im sorry i dont like it and nevver will If me n my girl friend r out in public ever ( when we meet ) and they ask who she is im gunna say shes my girl friend not partner

[Aeon Magus]

No use beating around the bush, is there?
Just say it. Girlfriend/Wife. Boyfriend/Husband. Although, saying "partner" is not entirely 'bad'.

[Gravity]

I stuck to boyfriend for a long time. I only started to use "partner" when I got fed up with sounding like I was in high school or college (which is fine when you're that age, but when you've been together for years and you're in your late 20s, you want something a little more official sounding, or at least I did lol).

I don't tend to use "husband" because gay marriage isn't legal here, and I don't want to give people the impression that I don't need that right because I already think of myself as having it. :-P

[Mogget]

I'd use "partner" only for someone I was in a very committed relationship with. And I would consider it superior to "boyfriend."

[Rooni321]

I'm fine with either personally.
Partner sounds so sweet and bonding to me (:
But I can easily see why others wouldn't like it as much.

[Owen]

Originally Posted by Liam

I'd use "partner" only for someone I was in a very committed relationship with. And I would consider it superior to "boyfriend."

That's my view, too. A "boyfriend" is someone you date pretty frequently, but you still have largely separate lives apart from each other. You care about each other, but the commitment isn't all there. But when you move in together, share savings, share chores, and do all of those other things committed couples do, I don't think the term "boyfriend" does justice to how deep your relationship has become.

Some people think "partner" sounds too formal, like they're your business partner instead of your lover. To that I ask, is such an analogy really so bad? A business partner is someone with whom you agree to work for the benefit of the other person, since doing so is mutually advantageous. That sounds quite a lot like a committed relationship to me.

[Allegro molto]

"Partner" doesn't sound endearing to me. It sounds serious and unemotional...I much prefer boyfriend or husband or even lover, although I think the latter has sort of a negative connotation to it (and I think people would think of me as a bit looney should I ever use it).

[BushHippie]

It's so unfair man. Boyfriend doesn't sound completely right but the word partner... It's like a dog noise to me. When you deconstruct the noiser

you have ART and ERRR! It just doesn't flow. We need a fancy french word or something. Petit Ami is a little nicer but then people say don't you mean PeTEEET Ami? Nope!

[Zontar]

I prefer the term "fuck buddy." =p

[solarcat]

Personally, i don't like the term "partner;" it kinda sounds like you're trying to hide something. Plus, if I were working on a project, I don't want to have to specify "buisness partner" just to keep people from assuming we're dating.

I'd just stick to the same terms hetero couples use, and I've never heard boy or a girl introduce their gf/ bf as their "partner." So I'd stick with boyfriend, husband, etc.

[Aya McCabre]

'Partner' covers the legal grey area. I can't get married. If I had a civil union then 'partner' is considered the proper legal terminology. A judge ruled that the terms 'husband' and 'wife' are not applicable to couples joined in civil union. If I'm living with someone then government forms, police officers etc all expect me to use the term 'partner'. 'Girlfriend' implies something much more casual. It also implies that the person I'm dating is female, which isn't always completely accurate. So whilst it's not necessarily a word I would choose, it's a word that I have to use for people to know what I mean.

[Just Passing]

I know people who use it for various reasons and I have no problem with that. That being said, it is rather ambiguous and I find it a little too posh and perhaps pompous for my tastes. I wouldn't use it, but I'm not against anyone who wants to.

[Ben]

I don't mind it when I think about it. But when people say it to me, it just feels very awkward, like we're stepping around the issue of using a gendered term.

I use my lover, my man, my guy, my better half. Sometimes boyfriend. Not often partner. Once girlfriend, by accident

[TeddyJavier]

I don't like partner or boyfriend. I just feel awkward using them. I just use their name. Or "the guy I'm dating" and I know that sounds bad or really weird, but oh well.

[Skyfire13]

Haha this word - partner - has caused me so much confusion here in Australia. You see in Australia it is ok, even encouraged, for people to refer to their boyfriend/girlfriend husband/wife whatever as their partner. It doesn't matter if you are gay/straight/bi - the person you are with is your partner.

Yeah...see I didn't know that when I got down here. So for the first few weeks literally everyone was referring to their significant other as their partner. I was operating under the U.S. term of the word (generally gay relationships) and so I thought there were a crap ton of gay people out here. My teachers, my taxi drivers, the people at the grocery counter--there were gay people everywhere. Even when they were with their boyfriend/girlfriend and they said partner I thought they were referring to someone else not in the same physical proximity.

Now I know better - but I still don't know the gender of the 'partner's that get referred to in random conversations. Friends say they are going out with their partner and I have no idea if it is a boy or a girl. I guess it is a good thing--every one is on the same footing and there is no distinction between gay and straight relationships.

[Gerry]

People have different terms they like using for their significant other. The term "partner" seems much more formal and someone you're very committed to and probably plan on spending the rest of your life with. I have usually said boyfriend and it works out fine. Like I said, everyone has a preference.