You hear them all the time, but what do words like gaslighting and lovebombing actually mean. And what do they look or sound like in reality? We teamed up with Macquarie Dictionary to show you.
Gaslighting
Definition: (gaslighted or gaslit, gaslighting) to manipulate the experiences of (another) to the point where they no longer trust their perceptions or their memory or sanity, and are filled with self-doubt.
Example: Alex kept telling Charlie she was being ‘too sensitive’, that she needed to ‘lighten up’ and he was ‘just joking’ when she told him his hurtful insults were offending her.
Want to know more? Check out what a toxic relationship looks like.
Lovebombing
Definition: a technique in which the person targeted is treated to lavish praise, attention, and warmth of feeling in order to break down their defences
Example: Everybody was worried about their relationship because from the very start, they were constantly messaging, never spent time apart, he was always paying for everything and kept buying over-the-top gifts.
Looksmaxxing
Definition: the act of improving one’s physical appearance or attractiveness as much as possible, especially as undertaken by young men.
Example: After he got dumped, he hit the gym and started a skincare routine in an attempt at looksmaxxing, then she told him they broke up because he wasn’t being respectful of her boundaries, not because of how he looked.
Looksmaxxing might work for you, but there are so many ways to be a man. Find out about them here.
Ghosting
Definition: to end a relationship or contact by suddenly ceasing all communication with the other person, often quite callously.
Example: They were left confused, upset and hurt after the person they had been messaging for a while ghosted them and stopped replying altogether without any explanation.
Shipping
Definition:(shipped, shipping) to create a relationship between (two characters or people) in a work of fiction, as in the fanfic genre, or in reality.
Example: Their friends had been shipping them for ages because they’d always been on the same wavelength, respected each other's boundaries, and were just happy together.
Not sure if you're being shipped? Work out if they might be interested here.
Roster
Definition:to put on a roster; to list (particularly in the sense of dating or hooking up culture).
Example: They had about five people on their roster who they’d hit up from time to time, they’d told everybody on it about it and explained how they weren’t looking for anything serious at the moment.
Crash out
Definition: to snap or lose one’s cool, especially in a highly public space such as social media.
Example: He was bordering on a crash out when he found out his crush was talking to somebody else, but then he took a moment to cool down and chat it through with a mate.
Body count
Definition: the number of people one has engaged in penetrative sexual intercourse with.
Example: When asked by his mate what his new gf’s body count was, he ignored it and said he was more concerned about how she treated him than who she had been with before they even met.
What are these definitions about?
The Line and Macquarie Dictionary have teamed up to help unpack these words, showing what they mean and how they can show up in real life.
Understanding them makes it easier to spot, avoid or reach out for support if it happens to you.
Each year, the Macquarie Dictionary brings together a Committee to review new words and definitions that have been added.
They start with a longlist across 13 categories, cut it down to a shortlist, and from there pick the Committee’s Choice Word of the Year.
You get a say, too.
The shortlist is opened for public voting, and the word with the most votes wins People’s Choice Word of the Year.
