theyfriend

English

WOTD – 14 July 2025

Etymology

From they +‎ friend, modelled after boyfriend and girlfriend.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈðeɪfɹɛnd/

• Audio (General American):

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• Hyphenation: they‧friend

Noun

theyfriend (plural theyfriends)

1. (neologism) A non-binary partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.

   Synonyms: enbyfriend, joyfriend

   Coordinate terms: boyfriend, girlfriend

   • 2018, Talia Hibbert, Wanna Bet? (Dirty British Romance; 2), [United Kingdom]: Nixon House, →ISBN:

     She'd never had a boyfriend or girlfriend or theyfriend, not in her entire life.

   • 2021 October 21, Skeeter, “Janithor is my non-binary theyfriend”, in alt.slack‎^[1] (Usenet):

     Janithor is my non-binary theyfriend [title] […] so prwned^[sic]

   • 2022, Anna Meriano, “Just Tell Them You Play Soccer”, in Laura Silverman, editor, Game On: 15 Stories of Wins, Losses, and Everything in Between, New York, N.Y.: Viking, →ISBN, page 196:

     "And I know as soon as I get in it'll be all 'Do you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend or a theyfriend?'" Olivia sighs. "And my high school squad is going to be even worse."

Translations

non-binary partner in an unmarried romantic relationship

• Finnish: kumppani (fi) (not gender-specific)
• French: copaine (fr) n (neologism)
• Korean: 그 친구 (geu chingu)
• Portuguese: namorade (pt)

Further reading

• non-binary on Wikipedia.Wikipedia