Friendship is a platonic relationship between two or more people who share a mutual affection for each other. These people can refer to each other as friends.
The feeling of affection can be closely related to ‘liking’ and ‘love,’ but no romantic sentiments are involved. On the other hand, a girlfriend is a female partner with whom one share romantic emotions.
A relationship with a girlfriend is intimate and involves feelings of love and attraction. It may involve feelings that one has towards a friend as well.
Key Takeaways
- A friend is a person with whom you share a platonic relationship based on mutual liking and respect, while a girlfriend is a romantic partner.
- Friendship is based on trust and companionship, while a girlfriend relationship has an element of physical intimacy.
- A friend can be of any gender, while a girlfriend is typically a female partner in a romantic relationship.
Friend vs. Girlfriend
A friend is someone with whom you can have a relationship of honesty, loyalty, and liking. A friend can be a girl or a boy who can support you. A girlfriend is a female friend with whom a person has relations of intimacy, love, etc. Relation with a girlfriend is romantic.
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Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Friend | Girlfriend |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | A friend is someone with whom one shares feelings of liking, trust, and loyalty. | A girlfriend is a female partner with whom one shares feelings of love and attraction. |
| Feelings | Friendship does not involve any romantic sentiment. | A girlfriend is someone with whom one shares romantic sentiments. |
| Relationship | A friend is a person with whom one has a platonic relationship. | A girlfriend is a person with whom one has a romantic relationship. |
| Physical interaction | Physical interaction between friends tends to be more casual as compared to girlfriends. | Physical interaction with a girlfriend tends to be intimate or sexual. |
| Future Intent | Friends generally do not have intentions or plans to build a future together. | A girlfriend is someone with whom one generally intends or plans to build a future. |
Who Is a Friend?
A friend is someone with whom one share mutual affection and feelings of trust, loyalty, and liking. This relationship is platonic and may exist between two or more people.
Those involved in friendship tend to have feelings of attachment and personal regard. The nature of friendship between people changes as they grow.
Children experience friendship through interaction while doing common activities or sharing proximity. This allows them to be more aware of others and develop socially.
As children grow and reach adolescence, their ideas of friendships tend to revolve around feelings of support, sharing, frankness, spontaneity, and new experiences. People of this age group commonly look for good company and familiar mentalities.
Adults look for meaningful friendships. They tend to create a bond with people who add value to their life.
It may be In the form of emotional support, positive contribution to one’s mental health, or help with improving one’s physical well-being. Friendships are also found between beings of different species.
For example, dogs are believed to be man’s best friend. Moreover, studies show that mammals and birds of higher intelligence can form friendships with humans.
Who is a Girlfriend?
A girlfriend is a female companion with whom one shares a romantic feeling. This may be a relationship that lasts for a short period or may turn into a more serious relationship, such as that of a fiancé or wife.
In 1863, the word ‘girlfriend’ was used for the first time to describe the female friend of a woman. By 1922, it had evolved into a word for someone’s romantic companion.
Presently, the meaning of the term ‘girlfriend’ meaning is subjective as different people use it according to their personal preferences. A girlfriend is someone with whom one can have intimate and sexual relations.
The physical interaction with a girlfriend is not as casual as that of a friend. An important aspect involved is whether or not the people have each other’s consent.
People who have a girlfriend may plan or intend to build a future with them. This may involve living together, engaging in marriage, or anything according to their preference.
The relationship has no legal implications, and people are free to choose if they want to have a romantic bond.
In recent years, the term has received a lot of criticism as it does not keep up with the changing norms of relationships. Many magazines have often caught negative attention for using ‘girlfriend’ instead of ‘companion,’ as the latter is more gender fluid and doesn’t conform to boundaries.
Main Differences Between Friend and Girlfriend
- A friend is someone with whom one shares feelings of trust, loyalty, and liking, whereas a girlfriend is someone with whom one shares feelings of love, attraction, and intimacy.
- Friends do not have any romantic sentiments for each other, while romantic sentiments may be involved with a girlfriend.
- Friendship is a platonic relationship. On the other hand, a relationship with a girlfriend tends to be possessive and romantic.
- The physical interaction between friends is casual, while the physical interaction with a girlfriend may be intimate and sexual.
- A friendship does not involve plans, while a relationship with a girlfriend may involve intentions of building a future together.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01463379309369875
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0265407501186004
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
