significant other
0 antonyms and opposites of significant other, grouped by meaning.
Noun — The person someone is in a long-term romantic relationship with, named this way when the speaker does not want to specify whether they are a husband, wife, partner, girlfriend or boyfriend.
How to use significant other
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Deliberately neutral about marriage and gender, which makes it useful on invitations, forms and at work. Sometimes abbreviated SO online.
Etymology
Originally a term from social psychology for any person whose opinion strongly shapes one's sense of self, later narrowed in everyday use to a romantic partner.
Full origin of significant other →Frequently asked questions
Does significant other mean married?
Not necessarily. It covers spouses, live-in partners and long-term boyfriends or girlfriends alike. That vagueness is the point of the phrase.
What does SO mean in a text message?
In relationship contexts SO is short for significant other, as in "my SO hates that film". Elsewhere online it can just be the word so, so read it from context.