Re-Ship Glossary
About Re-Ship Glossary
Re-Ship Glossary is a space to capture, revisit, and reflect on evolving terms and concepts as they surface in shared conversations within Insight Circle.
Words enter this space not as final definitions, but as invitations to pause, notice, and stay with how meaning shifts across
relationships, contexts, and lived experience.
Rather than fixing meanings, Re-Ship allows words to remain open. What matters here is attentiveness, not precision.
Some words may return again and again. Others may appear briefly and move on. All are held lightly.
Meanings here are provisional and shared. They continue to evolve within the Circle.
This glossary reflects collective reflection, not authoritative explanation.
Divorce Rebound
A divorce rebound describes entering a new romantic relationship shortly after a divorce, often during a period of emotional adjustment and change.
Orbiting
Orbiting refers to a pattern where someone ends a romantic or dating relationship but continues to remain present at the margins of the other person’s life. This often shows up through indirect engagement such as liking posts, viewing stories, or making occasional comments without initiating direct communication or committing to a relationship.
The connection remains visible, but unresolved.
Benching
Benching refers to keeping someone as a potential romantic partner without actively engaging in a committed relationship.
The term is commonly used to describe situations where a person maintains intermittent contact, keeping the connection available as a backup rather than as a primary relationship.
The word comes from team sports, where substitute players wait on the bench until they are called into the game.
In relational contexts, benching often reflects uncertainty, avoidance of commitment, or a desire to keep options open without clarity about mutual expectations.
Work Spouse
A work spouse refers to a close, non romantic relationship between two coworkers that mirrors some relational dynamics commonly associated with marriage. Such a bond may involve deep trust, emotional support, frequent interaction, and a high level of personal disclosure within the workplace. The connection often develops through shared responsibilities, long hours, and sustained collaboration.
While the term is traditionally used to describe relationships between colleagues of the opposite sex, it can also apply to same sex colleagues.
Gamophobia
Gamophobia refers to a persistent fear or strong anxiety associated with marriage or long term commitment.
It may be expressed in different ways, including:
Fear of losing personal autonomy or independence
Anxiety about long-term responsibility
Concern about the possibility of relational failure or distress
Such fears can influence relationship choices, life planning, and decision-making around intimacy and commitment.
In public discourse, the term is often used to describe changing attitudes toward marriage among younger adults, especially in contexts where social expectations around relationships are shifting.
Misandry
Misandry refers to prejudice against, or hostility toward, men or boys. It is commonly described as the conceptual opposite of misogyny, which refers to prejudice against women.
In public and academic discourse, misandry is often discussed in relation to broader conversations about gender, power, and social response to inequality. Its usage varies widely, and meanings can shift depending on context.
The term is sometimes invoked in interpersonal or social conflicts, where perceptions of bias, grievance, or injustice are present.
Fused Relationship
A fused relationship refers to a relational pattern where emotional boundaries between individuals become blurred, and personal identities are closely intertwined. In such relationships, individuals may feel highly responsible for one another’s emotions, remain strongly attuned to the other’s reactions or opinions, and experience a reduced sense of personal space, interests, or autonomy.
The term is often used to describe situations where closeness makes it difficult to distinguish where one person’s feelings, needs, or choices end and another’s begin.
Cat Fishing
Catfishing refers to the practice of presenting a false or fabricated identity in online spaces, particularly on social media or dating platforms.
This may involve using altered images, misleading personal details, or an entirely fictional persona to initiate or sustain a connection. The interaction is built on an identity that does not correspond to the person behind it.
When such misrepresentation comes to light, it can disrupt trust and leave relationships feeling unsettled or unclear.
The term invites reflection on how anonymity, desire, and digital distance shape intimacy and authenticity in online relationships.
Sleep Divorce
A sleep divorce refers to a mutually agreed arrangement in which partners choose to sleep in separate beds or rooms in order to improve sleep quality and overall well being.
Hard Balling
Hard balling refers to a dating approach in which individuals clearly state what they want from a relationship whether casual, serious, or undecided right at the beginning, rather than leaving expectations vague.
Let’s Stay in Conversation
If something here stays with you, you’re welcome to remain connected.
Insight Circle continues through shared reflection, quiet listening, and ongoing conversations that unfold over time.