Word
bromance
Phoneticsbro·mance
US/ˈbɹoʊmæns/
UK/ˈbrəʊmans/
Definition
n. a very close, friendly relationship between two men that is not romantic. It is a way to describe two male friends who spend a lot of time together and care about each other.
n. a close, non-sexual relationship between two men, typically involving high levels of emotional intimacy and shared interests. A blend of the words 'brother' and 'romance'.
Examples
“The two actors have a famous bromance on and off the screen.”
“Their bromance became obvious to everyone when they started wearing matching outfits and finishing each other's sentences.”
“Sociologists read the rise of the bromance as evidence of a broader loosening of masculine norms, in which affection between men no longer carries the suspicion it once attracted.”
Examples
simple
“The two actors have a famous bromance on and off the screen.”
contextual
“Their bromance became obvious to everyone when they started wearing matching outfits and finishing each other's sentences.”
complex
“Sociologists read the rise of the bromance as evidence of a broader loosening of masculine norms, in which affection between men no longer carries the suspicion it once attracted.”
Usage
Often used in media and entertainment contexts to describe the chemistry between male co-stars.
Culture
The word marks a change in what English lets men say about each other. Coined in the 1990s skateboarding press, it spread through celebrity journalism and now names a friendship that is openly affectionate without being romantic — something the language had no comfortable word for. The female counterpart, womance, is far rarer, largely because closeness between women was never treated as needing a special term.
Real-World Examples
“The actors co-star in a lightly fictionalised meta-comedy about their real-life bromance – and possible sharing of parents.” Etymology
From a blend of bro + romance, coined in the 1990s by Dave Carnie, then editor of the skateboard magazine Big Brother. Carnie introduced the term in an article to describe the close, non-sexual bonds formed between skaters who spent considerable time together.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/bromance