Relationship
What does Cushioning mean?
Keeping spare suitors as a pillow in case the current bond fails.
Definition
Cushioning describes a human safety net. While a relationship runs, the person cultivates flirts, likes, lukewarm chats — not necessarily sexual cheating, enough not to fall into the void. It is benching seen from the other side: someone is already on the bench to soften the fall. The pillow metaphor is cruel and exact.
Origin
English cushion, dating vocabulary of the 2010s.
History
Red-flag lists in English and then in Portuguese/Spanish spread the gerund.
How it emerged
The app made the reserve squad too visible to stay unnamed.
Usage examples
That is not friendship, it is cushioning.
The cushion only works if the other person does not know they are a cushion.
Translations
- pt cushioning / almofada
- en cushioning
- es cushioning / almohadilla
Synonyms
- affective pillow
- parallel plan B
- flirt net
Related terms
Questions
What is cushioning?
Cultivating spare people while a bond still exists.
Is it cheating?
Sexually, not always. Ethically, many people treat it as a betrayal of attention.
Difference from benching?
Benching describes who sits on the bench. Cushioning describes who builds the bench.