Long term, not married?
Consort.
Not if I ever wanna walk upright again.
This. There is nothing wrong with your answer unless your friends were talking about setting you up with someone.
Since this is a matter of social conventions, it’s better suited to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I don’t think single is the right word to use there. Single means “not married” on a census form, but it implies “Not in a relationship” socially. If my long-term, live-in SO described himself as “single”, I’d be taken aback.
Honestly, my own need to resolve this and provide some sort of semantic precision to my life was a major reason why we formalized the relationship with a wedding.
If I had just met you, that would imply to me that you still have serious unresolved issues more than anything. Why do I need to know that your ex was not dependable? Or her private medical details?
Yep, my gf and I would likely marry just to simplify explanations if not for the fact that we both had loooong, less than ideal marriages previously that soured us on the idea of marriage.
Because the follow up is always did you have kids? This answers that question while explaining that its not like I didn’t just not like kids. I do have a grown daughter but not from my ex. Eveyone has issues, when you get older you realize that and move past them.
That’s awfully judgmental. Why can’t I just have very nice and tasteful affairs?
If you told me you were single, but had been divorced I would think that you are using the word single to actively avoid letting me know you had been divorced.
Just my opinion, but hadn’t been said yet
As my uncle (a real ‘dirty old man’) says: “That’s all right as long as you get more ball than chain.”
Another vote for “single” being good enough in 95% of situations (“Hey, Famous Actress could go for me… I’m single!” or “Nothing wrong with me getting a studio apartment since I’m single”)) with the big distinction being dating. Then “Divorced” has implications that “Single” doesn’t carry.
Not all of them do. Match does, OKCupid doesn’t. On OKcupid, you’re either Married, Single or Seeing someone. There used to also be an option for Available as well. On the one hand, you need to keep in mind that OKC is designed for more then just Single men and women looking to connect with other single women and men for a long term relationship. OTOH, it would be nice if there was a place to put it in, when I made my profile, I did my best to subtly drop in that I was divorced. I just mentioned somewhere that my daughter is with my ex-wife about half the time. That’s the only mention of divorce or my ex in my profile, but as long as you read my entire profile you’ll know I’m divorced.
I’m looking for my next manpanion.
I’m twice divorced, and if I were any more single I would be a fraction. I’ve never had children, though, and I literally could not get a hold of either of my former spouses if I had to; I haven’t seen or heard from either of them for over eight years. If I had any lingering entanglements from either of my marriages, I might not be quite so quick to say that divorced equaled single in my case.
Yes, but does it carry a negative significance for you?
Once you get past a certain age, if someone is “single” you can just assume there is a high likelihood they were married at some point in the past. For me, if they were never married, I would find that to be points against.
Whore?
Well, there is also widowhood; I have a female friend whose husband died about six years ago, leaving her with three minor children. She had occasion to be quoted in the local paper about something not related to her marital status, and they referred to her as a “single mother.” She was very upset. And I don’t think she has any moral objections to unwed motherhood, but that reporter DID screw up and in some contexts there IS a difference.
Well I’m divorced, but I’m also married. So it’s not as simple as it seems. 
Wow. I’m 55. Anyone looking at me and hearing that I’m single is gonna know I’ve been married. Shit, man!
ETA: that looks kinda conceited, but seriously?
The first Mr Cherry has no idea what he missed out on.