There are friends, and then there are “friends”. One of my friends is quite specific about friendship that she don’t get listed on Friendster or Facebook because of all the “friends who aren’t really friends” that she’ll be getting.
I have the same feeling too. I know some people who are technically “friends” - as in I know who they are, we shared some moments together and social conventions demand that I call them ‘friends’ but they aren’t anything but ‘friends’ in the loosest of definitions.
But what would be a good term to refer to them without causing offense? Acquaintances? Casual friends? Technical friends? Non-strangers? What’s your suggestion?
(Alternatively, I can start using ‘close friends’ or ‘buddies’ or ‘brothers’ for those real friends of mine…)
What you’re describing is what I would call a “friendly acquaintance”. A regular acquaintance is someone I’ve only met and haven’t formed an opinion about.
An “acquaintance” is someone I’ve been introduced to and interact with socially but whom I would never call in an emergency. A friend is someone who’ll help me chop up the bodies.
yeah but you might not want to introduce your acquaintance (standing beside you) as such. better to just promote your close friends and invent a snazzy title if you wish.
In this situation I would introduce them with no relationship designation and just say where we know each other from. “This is Joe, we go to the same gym”
I’m voting for Acquaintences. If someone wants to get upset that they think you are closer than just being an acquaintence, then you might run into some problems. But overall, I think that’s a fine term.
I used to call my friends “friends” and everyone else “Assorted Riff-Raff”.
I’d say that the best option is to call your “real” friends “close friends” or something, and refer to the others as “friends” or maybe “friend-of-a-friend” or whatever as the case may be.
To me, calling someone an acquaintance implies that “I know this person but I want to make it clear that they are not a friend!”
This is a perfect solution. Not only does it avoid the issue entirely, but it opens a possible line of small talk.
No, I live in a small town and you see the same people everywhere. Say I’m at the grocery store and I see Jim and we’re chatting. My neighbor Sue walks up and says “Hi” then I feel obligated to introduce them.
