# boyfriend
## English
### Alternative forms

* boy friend (dated)
* boy-friend (dated)

### Etymology

From boy +‎ friend.

### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /ˈbɔɪˌfɹɛnd/, /ˈbɔɪfɹənd/
* Audio (US):(file)

### Noun

boyfriend (plural boyfriends)
* A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.
    Coordinate terms: fiancé, girlfriend, enbyfriend, husband, lover, significant other
    I was playing the drums and my boyfriend was playing the electric guitar.
** 2012, “Boyfriend”, performed by Justin Bieber:If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you go / I can take you places you ain’t never been before.
* A male friend.
    Synonyms: (slang) guyfriend, buddy, pal, mate; see also Thesaurus:friend
* (often attributively) A style of women's clothing that draws heavily from corresponding men's garments.

#### Usage notes

* In contrast to its female equivalent, girlfriend, which is often used to describe a woman's close female friend, the term is not used in reference to non-romantic relationships involving males. Separating the word into its two components boy friend avoids the romantic implication nowadays, although boy friend used to mean the same as boyfriend does now. However, British and Australian men usually refer to a male friend as a mate. Similarly, Americans and Canadians use the term buddy. It is also common for American and Canadian women to differentiate non-romantic male friends from romantic ones by referring to them as being their guy friend.
Boyfriend is a relatively modern term, and often has implications of a sexual relationship outside of marriage. In the past, such relationships were actually illegal, and were often considered immoral. With the sexual revolution, however, such relationships became normal in Western countries. As a result, the term is often used today without negative implications.
An adult man in a non-marital romantic relationship is sometimes referred to instead as a significant other or partner, especially if the two partners are living together. Because boyfriend and partner mean different things to different people, the distinctions between the terms are subjective, and which term is used in a relationship will ultimately be determined by personal preference.

#### Derived terms

* boyfriendable
* boyfriend experience
* boyfriendhood
* boyfriend-ish
* boyfriendish
* boyfriend jeans
* boyfriendless
* boyfriend loophole
* boyfriendship
* boyfriendy
* do you have a boyfriend
* ex-boyfriend
* friendboy
* friend boy
* friend-boy
* Golden Retriever boyfriend
* unboyfriend

#### Descendants

* → German: Boyfriend
* → Hindi: बॉयफ़्रेंड (bŏyfreṇḍ)
* → Japanese: ボーイフレンド (bōifurendo)
* → Korean: 보이프렌드 (boipeurendeu)
* → Louisiana Creole: boyfrìnn
* → Russian: бойфре́нд (bojfrɛ́nd)
* → Urdu: بایفْرینْڈ (bayfrenḍ)

#### Translations
### Anagrams

* friend boy, friendboy

## Finnish
### Etymology

From English boyfriend.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈboi̯frend/, [ˈbo̞i̯fre̞nd]
* Rhymes: -oifrend

### Noun

boyfriend (rare)
* boyfriend

#### Declension

Possessive forms of boyfriend (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
boyfriendini
boyfriendini
accusative
nom.
boyfriendini
boyfriendini
gen.
boyfriendini
genitive
boyfriendini
boyfriendieni
partitive
boyfriendiäni
boyfriendejäni
inessive
boyfriendissäni
boyfriendeissäni
elative
boyfriendistäni
boyfriendeistäni
illative
boyfriendiini
boyfriendeihini
adessive
boyfriendilläni
boyfriendeilläni
ablative
boyfriendiltäni
boyfriendeiltäni
allative
boyfriendilleni
boyfriendeilleni
essive
boyfriendinäni
boyfriendeinäni
translative
boyfriendikseni
boyfriendeikseni
abessive
boyfriendittäni
boyfriendeittäni
instructive
comitative
—boyfriendeineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
boyfriendisi
boyfriendisi
accusative
nom.
boyfriendisi
boyfriendisi
gen.
boyfriendisi
genitive
boyfriendisi
boyfriendiesi
partitive
boyfriendiäsi
boyfriendejäsi
inessive
boyfriendissäsi
boyfriendeissäsi
elative
boyfriendistäsi
boyfriendeistäsi
illative
boyfriendiisi
boyfriendeihisi
adessive
boyfriendilläsi
boyfriendeilläsi
ablative
boyfriendiltäsi
boyfriendeiltäsi
allative
boyfriendillesi
boyfriendeillesi
essive
boyfriendinäsi
boyfriendeinäsi
translative
boyfriendiksesi
boyfriendeiksesi
abessive
boyfriendittäsi
boyfriendeittäsi
instructive
comitative
—boyfriendeinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
boyfriendimme
boyfriendimme
accusative
nom.
boyfriendimme
boyfriendimme
gen.
boyfriendimme
genitive
boyfriendimme
boyfriendiemme
partitive
boyfriendiämme
boyfriendejämme
inessive
boyfriendissämme
boyfriendeissämme
elative
boyfriendistämme
boyfriendeistämme
illative
boyfriendiimme
boyfriendeihimme
adessive
boyfriendillämme
boyfriendeillämme
ablative
boyfriendiltämme
boyfriendeiltämme
allative
boyfriendillemme
boyfriendeillemme
essive
boyfriendinämme
boyfriendeinämme
translative
boyfriendiksemme
boyfriendeiksemme
abessive
boyfriendittämme
boyfriendeittämme
instructive
comitative
—boyfriendeinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
boyfriendinne
boyfriendinne
accusative
nom.
boyfriendinne
boyfriendinne
gen.
boyfriendinne
genitive
boyfriendinne
boyfriendienne
partitive
boyfriendiänne
boyfriendejänne
inessive
boyfriendissänne
boyfriendeissänne
elative
boyfriendistänne
boyfriendeistänne
illative
boyfriendiinne
boyfriendeihinne
adessive
boyfriendillänne
boyfriendeillänne
ablative
boyfriendiltänne
boyfriendeiltänne
allative
boyfriendillenne
boyfriendeillenne
essive
boyfriendinänne
boyfriendeinänne
translative
boyfriendiksenne
boyfriendeiksenne
abessive
boyfriendittänne
boyfriendeittänne
instructive
comitative
—boyfriendeinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
boyfriendinsä
boyfriendinsä
accusative
nom.
boyfriendinsä
boyfriendinsä
gen.
boyfriendinsä
genitive
boyfriendinsä
boyfriendiensä
partitive
boyfriendiään boyfriendiänsä
boyfriendejään boyfriendejänsä
inessive
boyfriendissään boyfriendissänsä
boyfriendeissään boyfriendeissänsä
elative
boyfriendistään boyfriendistänsä
boyfriendeistään boyfriendeistänsä
illative
boyfriendiinsä
boyfriendeihinsä
adessive
boyfriendillään boyfriendillänsä
boyfriendeillään boyfriendeillänsä
ablative
boyfriendiltään boyfriendiltänsä
boyfriendeiltään boyfriendeiltänsä
allative
boyfriendilleen boyfriendillensä
boyfriendeilleen boyfriendeillensä
essive
boyfriendinään boyfriendinänsä
boyfriendeinään boyfriendeinänsä
translative
boyfriendikseen boyfriendiksensä
boyfriendeikseen boyfriendeiksensä
abessive
boyfriendittään boyfriendittänsä
boyfriendeittään boyfriendeittänsä
instructive
comitative
—boyfriendeineen boyfriendeinensä :

#### Synonyms

* poikakaveri
* poikaystävä

### Further reading

* “boyfriend”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02