relationship

bear a relationship to (something)

To have a connection or similarity to something. If you ask me, his writing is terrible! I have no idea why these critics say it bears a relationship to the great works of Whitman and Dickinson. Does her high-stress job bear a relationship to her high blood pressure? Now I know that my perfectionism bears a relationship to the dysfunctional household I grew up in.

See also: bear, relationship, to

bear no relationship to (something)

To have no connection or similarity to something. If you ask me, his writing is terrible and bears absolutely no relationship to the great works of Whitman and Dickinson, as some delusional critics have claimed. The doctor says that her high-stress job bears no relationship to her high blood pressure, but I'm not convinced. I'm not surprised your parents want to believe that your severe anxiety bears no relationship to their dysfunctional household.

See also: bear, no, relationship, to

long-distance relationship

A romantic relationship in which each person lives in a different city, state, or country. We tried to keep a long-distance relationship going after we went to different colleges, but it was just too hard to maintain. I'm in a long-distance relationship with a woman in London, so we've got to contend with the time difference on top of the normal difficulties of living so far apart.

See also: relationship

love-hate relationship

A relationship or connection with someone or something that is characterized by both very positive and very negative feelings. I've got a bit of a love-hate relationship with this car—I absolutely adore the way it looks and handles on the road, but it has given me nothing but grief with how many times it has broken down. Tom and I have something of a love-hate relationship. When we get along, we're the best pals in the world, but other times we just drive each other crazy.

See also: relationship

off-again, on-again relationship

A turbulent romantic relationship that ends and then resumes again in a frequently or continually repeating cycle. I've been stuck in this off-again, on-again relationship with a guy in town. We both know we're not good for each other, but there's something about our chemistry that keeps bringing us back together. I'm looking for something serious, Maggie. I don't want some off-again, on-again relationship that drags on for years, so either we're together or we're not.

See also: relationship

off-and-on relationship

A turbulent romantic relationship that ends and then resumes again in a frequently or continually repeating cycle. I've been stuck in this off-and-on relationship with a guy in town. We both know we're not good for each other, but there's something about our chemistry that keeps bringing us back together. I'm looking for something serious, Maggie. I don't want some off-and-on relationship that drags on for years, so either we're together or we're not.

See also: relationship

off-on relationship

A turbulent romantic relationship that ends and then resumes again in a frequently or continually repeating cycle. I've been stuck in this off-on relationship with a guy in town. We both know we're not good for each other, but there's something about our chemistry that keeps bringing us back together. I'm looking for something serious, Maggie. I don't want some off-on relationship that drags on for years, so either we're together or we're not.

See also: relationship

on-again, off-again relationship

A turbulent romantic relationship that ends and then resumes again in a frequently or continually repeating cycle. I've been stuck in this on-again, off-again relationship with a guy in town. We both know we're not good for each other, but there's something about our chemistry that keeps bringing us back together. I'm looking for something serious, Maggie. I don't want some on-again, off-again relationship that drags on for years, so either we're together or we're not.

See also: relationship

on-and-off relationship

A turbulent romantic relationship that ends and then resumes again in a frequently or continually repeating cycle. I've been stuck in this on-and-off relationship with a guy in town. We both know we're not good for each other, but there's something about our chemistry that keeps bringing us back together. I'm looking for something serious, Maggie. I don't want some on-and-off relationship that drags on for years, so either we're together or we're not.

See also: relationship

on-off relationship

A turbulent romantic relationship that ends and then resumes again in a frequently or continually repeating cycle. I've been stuck in this on-off relationship with a guy in town. We both know we're not good for each other, but there's something about our chemistry that keeps bringing us back together. I'm looking for something serious, Maggie. I don't want some on-off relationship that drags on for years, so either we're together or we're not.

See also: relationship

rebound relationship

A romantic relationship that one begins, often as a means of distraction, while still recovering from the end of a different relationship. Oh, Peggy doesn't really love that guy—she's just in a rebound relationship so that she doesn't feel so heartbroken about Pat leaving her.

See also: rebound, relationship

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

love-hate relationship

Fig. a relationship of any kind that involves both devotion and hatred. Tommy has a love-hate relationship with his teacher. Mostly, though, it's hate lately.

See also: relationship

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.