I believe that partner is the term that is beginning to be used by people to describe all unmarried relationships. He knows the term has problems, but he still prefers it. San Francisco Chronicle reporter David Tuller said he used the term mate for his significant other who died a few years ago. He said he believes the term lover is passing from the scene and that a companion sounds like something people have when they are old. Spouse seems strange.
Husband seems forced in some way.
Life partner is sort of pretentious. The phrase longtime companion and words like friend or roommate often don't fully explain the relationship. Significant other or other half are convenient terms, but again they often don't provide an accurate picture of the relationship to which they refer. Partner or life partner is the choice of about a third of women and a slightly smaller percentage of men, according to a survey. The 1988 survey conducted by Partners Task Force for Lesbian and Gay Couples found that 30 percent of women and 40 percent of men use the term lover.