All you wanted to know about open relationships

To open a relationship might be more complicated than to have really good sex with a lot of partners, as it involves deep conversations. So, are you prepared to have the talk? Today, open relationships have become very mainstream as more people recognize that monogamy might not work for everyone, and that’s totally ok if it’s not for you either. However, if you’re new to other forms of relationships like non-monogamy, it’s also normal to have questions. What’s more, you can feel the pressure of not knowing the terminology and what certain words mean (like CPOS for example).

Because opening things up might be more complicated than having sex with multiple partners. Get ready to talk about it! What’s an open relationship? Well, there isn’t just one answer. Maybe you’ve heard about polyamory or monogamy, but there’s a relationship type for every couple out there. The only thing for sure is that if it’s open, that means you let go of traditional monogamy. 

Here are a few open relationship terms that you can share with your partners and be like a conversation starter.

Bigamy - old-fashioned term meaning marrying someone when you’re already married to someone else. Bigamy is illegal.

Boundary - rules that you establish if you practice ethical non-monogamy, important to its success. Some couples only date other people together, or keep some exes off the relationship. It’s about agreement.

Cheating - unethical non-monogamy.

Compersion - a warm emotion some people get through seeing their partner’s joy or sexual gratification from another partner.

CPOS - “cheating piece of shit”

Cuck - traditionally, a cuck gets off on watching his wife have sex with another person.

Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) - a type of relationship where a couple is allowed to sleep with other partners, agreeing not to talk about it.

Dragon - bisexual who enters a relatioship just to have a fun with a couple and then leave their relationship undisturbed.

Ethical non-monogamy (ENM) - umbrella term that includes all the various ways to have an open relationship

Fluid-bonded - a partner you don’t use condoms with. Fluid-bonding is intentional. More than just having unprotected sex, because both partners decide to do it, after ideally each one has tested. For this, you need to know your partner’s status.

Jealousy - emotion is experienced by monogamous and non-monogamous people. Often felt as anger, betrayal, and insecurity. If this happens, it’s important to talk to your partners.

Metamour - pretentious poly term for your partner’s partners.

Monogamish - couples who are basically monogamous, but respect their partner's desires when they ask for permission to be with someone else occasionally.

Monogamy - two people agree only to be together exclusively.

Nesting Partner - a live-in partner, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re a primary partner.

New Relationship Energy (NRE) - that high you get early on in a relationship. Most of the time it’s just good sex, but it’s not just that. Sometimes people jump into a new relationship too quickly and realize that they left their true love for someone they are only sexually attracted to. But NRE in an open relationship means you don’t need to break up with your primary partner.

Old Relationship Energy (ORE) - the comforting, dependable and secure experience of a healthy long term relationship

One Penis Rule (OPP) - a type of open relationship in which a couple dates only women or only people with vaginas.

Open Relationship - umbrella term that includes polyamorous, swingers, and people who don’t practice monogamy.

Polyamory - translates to “many loves.” Ethical non-monogamy meaning sex with more than one person and also romantic and emotional connections with more than one person.

Polyfidelity - non-monogamydoesn’t mean the end of fidelity. Polyfidelity characterizes a poly family with equal partners.

Polygamy - the practice of being married to more than one person—not the same thing as polyamory!

Primary Partner - the husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, meaning the main romantic interest in your life.

Quad - four people who are in a relationship together

Relationship Orientation - looking for the best relationship format that is right for you: monogamous, poly, or somewhere in the middle?

Sexually Open - allow for sex with others but ask you to hold the romance and emotions.

Solo Poly - no hierarchy in a relationship but being on the same page

Swinging - a couple who switch partners with other couples

Throuple - three people who are in a relationship.

Unicorns - often female or non-binary mythical creatures who meet a couple just for having sex and then leave. It’s considered distasteful for a couple to go unicorn hunting.