Acquaintance vs Girlfriend - What's the difference?

acquaintance | girlfriend | Related terms |

Acquaintance is a related term of girlfriend.

As nouns the difference between acquaintance and girlfriend

is that acquaintance is (uncountable) a state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy while girlfriend is a female partner in a romantic relationship.

acquaintance

English

(Webster 1913)

Alternative forms

* acquaintaunce

Noun

(en noun)

(uncountable) A state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy

I know of the man; but have no acquaintance with him.

* 1799 , '', in ''The Works , Volume 6, page 22:

Contract no friend?hip, or even acquaintance , with a guileful man : he re?embles a coal, which when hot burneth the hand, and when cold blacketh it.

(countable) A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.

* 1848 , , Chapter XVI:

Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson.

Usage notes

* Synonym notes: The words acquaintance , familiarity, and intimacy mark different degrees of closeness in social intercourse. Acquaintance arises from occasional intercourse; as, our acquaintance has been a brief one. We can speak of a slight or an intimate acquaintance. Familiarity is the result of continued acquaintance. It springs from persons being frequently together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve; as, the familiarity of old companions. Intimacy is the result of close connection, and the freest interchange of thought; as, the intimacy of established friendship.

Synonyms

* familiarity, fellowship, intimacy, knowledge * See also

Derived terms

* nodding acquaintance

References

* *

girlfriend

English

Noun

(en noun)

A female partner in a romantic relationship.

Marc went to the park with his girlfriend and watched the sunset with her.

A female friend.

Mary always enjoyed hanging out with her girlfriend Jessica.

Synonyms

* (female friend) chickfriend (slang)

Usage notes

* The term is used to describe any girl or woman in a romantic relationship with another person. * An adult woman in such a non-marital relationship is sometimes described instead as a significant other'' or ''partner'', especially if the two partners are living together. Since ''girlfriend'' 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. * The use of girlfriend for a female non-romantic friend of another female is limited in geographic distribution and sometimes preferred by older generations of speakers.

Alternative forms

* girl friend * girl-friend