To me, partner seems so much less clinical than “significant other”.
Partner is good because it says nothing about gender, which is good if your partner does not conform to a gender binary, but also just if you don’t want to reveal their gender either to prevent people being weirdos about it—like they often can online, especially if you say it’s your “girlfriend”—or to protect yourself if, for example, you’re in a same-sex relationship. But it also says nothing too specific about the status of your relationship. Are they your girlfriend? Fiancée? Wife? Something less conventional? If it’s not important to the story, why not leave that detail out?
I had a partner when I opened a computer shop back in the day. Closest I’ve come to having sex with him was the time I saw his wife topless through the window.
It’s also much weirder sounding. You know what sort of partner they mean from context (same as you know if someone means girlfriend girlfriend or a friend that is a girl)
To me, partner seems so much less clinical than “significant other”.
Partner is good because it says nothing about gender, which is good if your partner does not conform to a gender binary, but also just if you don’t want to reveal their gender either to prevent people being weirdos about it—like they often can online, especially if you say it’s your “girlfriend”—or to protect yourself if, for example, you’re in a same-sex relationship. But it also says nothing too specific about the status of your relationship. Are they your girlfriend? Fiancée? Wife? Something less conventional? If it’s not important to the story, why not leave that detail out?
I had a partner when I opened a computer shop back in the day. Closest I’ve come to having sex with him was the time I saw his wife topless through the window.
Significant Other is much more specific.
It’s also much weirder sounding. You know what sort of partner they mean from context (same as you know if someone means girlfriend girlfriend or a friend that is a girl)
Significant other checks all those boxes as well
Sure, but like I said, significant other feels a lot more clinical and cold than partner.