Is dating as our parents knew it dead? Probably. Does that mean that it’s any easier for us to navigate the complicated world of romance? Definitely not. Now more than ever, relationships are complex processes full of weird “stages” and unspoken rules. It’s no wonder that our generation is having [less sex than our parents](http://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2016/08/16/millennials-are-having-less-sex-than-other-gens-but-experts-say-its-probably-fine/#601e699048fe). A lot of the trouble with relationships these days stems from a lack of understanding with the many terms that we use in our romantic life.

From “talking” to Tinder, here’s a guide to the terms in millennial relationships.

**Tinder**

This is the most famous of the newest online dating services geared toward millennials. It uses a watered-down model of an online dating platform. Users swipe right on profiles they like and left on the ones they don’t. When two people “match,” they have the ability to send messages to each other.

**Date**

Defining what is or isn’t a “date” can be very tricky. Dates can be anything from coffee to a fancy dinner, or anything in between. These days, though, going on a “date” seems to be a much more abstract event. Most people tend to just say, “We got lunch,” or, “We went for coffee,” because the term “date” might imply that the meeting was more than it actually was.

**“Talking”**

The most ambiguous of all dating terms for millennials, “talking” is about as general of a term as you can get. For most, “talking” with someone simply means two people have been seeing each other regularly to some capacity. The “talking” stage tends to take place before having the DTR conversation (see below), but can continue after as well.

**DTR (Define The Relationship)**

The DTR is an extremely important step in any relationship. At some point while seeing a person regularly, one person will tend to want to know, “What exactly are we?” The resulting conversation has the end goal of defining the relationship to some extent, whether it be to continue the status quo, move on to becoming “official,” or possibly terminate any hope of a relationship.

**Mutually Exclusive**

Much like your high school math class, mutually exclusive has to do with all the things (or in this case, people) that cannot pair up. Being mutually exclusive means that two people have agreed not to see other people, but their relationship is not yet established or official. Becoming mutually exclusive can be a result of the DTR, or it can come about more organically.

**Official**

Being “official” is when two people decide to publicly acknowledge their relationship to the public. To some, that includes posting about it on social media or changing your relationship status on Facebook (sometimes referred to as “FBO,” or “Facebook Official”). For most people, becoming official is the last step of getting into a committed relationship.

_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_