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Bedfellow vs Girlfriend - What's the difference?

bedfellow | girlfriend | Related terms |

Bedfellow is a related term of girlfriend.


As nouns the difference between bedfellow and girlfriend

is that bedfellow is one with whom one shares a bed while girlfriend is a female partner in a romantic relationship.

bedfellow

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • One with whom one shares a bed.
  • * 1599 Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew , .
    • ''Young budding virgin, fair and fresh and sweet,
    ''Whither away, or where is thy abode?
    ''Happy the parents of so fair a child;
    ''Happier the man whom favourable stars
    Allot thee for his lovely bed-fellow .
  • An associate, often an otherwise improbable one.
  • * 1873' ''They say that "misfortune makes men acquainted with strange '''bedfellows ". The old hereditary Whig Cabinet ministers must, no doubt, by this time have learned to feel themselves at home with strange neighbours at their elbows.'' — Anthony Trollope, ''Phineas Redux , Chapter 40.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=February 12 , author=Les Roopanarine , title=Birmingham 1 - 0 Stoke , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Statistics and truth can be uneasy bedfellows when it comes to football, but one fact could not be ignored: neither side has a player with more than seven goals to his name.}}

    Synonyms

    * (one with whom one shares a bed) bedmate

    Derived terms

    * strange bedfellows

    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

    See also

    female partner in a romantic relationship * boyfriend * * lover * partner * significant other * sweetheart * wife * lady friend a female friend * boyfriend * buddy * friend * pal