Relationships Adjectives

A
 acquainted
 ADJECTIVE
FORMAL if two people are acquainted, they know each other, usually not very well

 arm’s-length
 ADJECTIVE
used for describing something such as a business deal in which
the different sides avoid having a close relationship with each other

B
 Bussines Relationship

 Balance

 Brittle
 ADJECTIVE
A brittle relationship or situation is not very strong and could easily be damaged

 broken
 ADJECTIVE
A broken relationship has failed

 bromantic
 ADJECTIVE
HUMOROUS typical of or relating to a very close friendship between two men

 brotherly
 ADJECTIVE
typical of the feelings that a man or boy has for his male friends
C
 chummy
 ADJECTIVE
INFORMAL OLD-FASHIONED chummy people are friendly with each other, especially in a way
that stops other people from joiningthe group

 clannish
 ADJECTIVE
concentrating on people in your own family or group and not wanting other people to join it

 close
 ADJECTIVE
connected by shared interests and shared feelings such as love and respect

 ADJECTIVE
used about relationships

 ADJECTIVE
directly involved with someone and communicating with them a lot, especially as part of
your job

 ADJECTIVE
used about activities or relationships

 connected
 ADJECTIVE
used about people who have a social, business, or family relationship

 cosy
 ADJECTIVE
a cosy relationship, in business or politics, involves people who seem to
be using their relationship in a dishonest way to getbenefits for each other

cozy

the American spelling of cosy

D
dysfunctional
 ADJECTIVE
dysfunctional relationships do not work normally and are not happy or successful

E
estranged
 ADJECTIVE
MAINLY JOURNALISM not seeing friends or relatives very often, especially because
of having fought with them

F
fragile
 ADJECTIVE
used about a situation, agreement, or relationship that can easily be damaged or destroyed

fraternal
 ADJECTIVE
belonging to brothers, or between brothers

fraternal
 ADJECTIVE
between friends or people who share the same interests or opinions

friendly
 ADJECTIVE
if you are friendly with someone, you are their friend

H
heavy
 ADJECTIVE
a heavy situation or relationship is serious and often not enjoyable

i
illicit
 ADJECTIVE
an illicit relationship, activity, or situation is one that people do not approve of

immediate
 ADJECTIVE
someone in an immediate relationship to you is closely connected to you

inseparable
 ADJECTIVE
people who are inseparable have a very close relationship and spend all their time together

interpersonal
 ADJECTIVE
involving relationships between people

intimate
 ADJECTIVE
an intimate friend is someone who you know very well and like very much

 ADJECTIVE
an intimate relationship is a very close personal relationship, especially a sexual one

 ADJECTIVE
FORMAL relating to sex or to a sexual relationship

L
long-lost
 ADJECTIVE
a long-lost person, especially a relative, is someone who you have not seen for a long time

loveless
 ADJECTIVE
without love

M
maternal
 ADJECTIVE
a maternal relative is related to you through your mother
matrilineal
 ADJECTIVE
FORMAL used for describing the mother’s side of a family and the relations on that side

monogamous
 ADJECTIVE
having only one husband, wife, or sexual relationship at a time

mouth
 NOUN
someone who you have to provide food for

O
one-sided
 ADJECTIVE
in a one-sided relationship, one person does more than the
other person or shows more love than the other person

one-to-one
 ADJECTIVE
a one-to-one relationship involves equal amounts or equal numbers of two things

one-way
 ADJECTIVE
a one-way relationship, agreement etc is one in which only one of
the people involved tries to make it succeed

P
patriarchal
 ADJECTIVE
typical of a patriarch

patrilineal
 ADJECTIVE
FORMAL used for describing the father’s side of a family and the relations on that side
personal
 ADJECTIVE
involving a direct relationship between two people who know each other

personally
 ADVERB
as a result of having met someone or of having a relationship with
them, usually a friendly one

platonic
 ADJECTIVE
a platonic relationship is one that is friendly but does not involve sex

political
 ADJECTIVE
relating to relationships of power that exist between people in an organization

R
related
 ADJECTIVE
having the same origins and belonging to the same group

rocky
 ADJECTIVE
INFORMAL a rocky relationship, situation, or period of time is one in which there are
a lot of problems

S
same-sex
 ADJECTIVE
used for referring to sexual relationships involving either two men or two women

serious
 ADJECTIVE
if you are in a serious romantic relationship with someone, you intend to stay together for a
long time

sexual
 ADJECTIVE
concerning relationships between men and women, or the way
that people think men and women should behave

shifting
 ADJECTIVE
shifting things such as standards or relationships are always changing

strong
 ADJECTIVE
strong relationships are close and firmly established

suited
 ADJECTIVE
if two people are suited, they are likely to have a successful relationship

T
thick
 ADJECTIVE
SPOKEN very friendly with someone

tight
 ADJECTIVE
a tight group of people have a close relationship with each other

U
unstable
 ADJECTIVE
an unstable system, situation, or relationship often has serious problems