Infidelity generally means being unfaithful to a romantic partner, usually by having a sexual or romantic relationship with someone else outside the committed relationship. Many people also use the word for emotional or online betrayal, not just physical cheating.

Core meaning

  • In most dictionaries, infidelity is defined as having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone other than your spouse or committed partner.
  • The word can also refer more broadly to disloyalty or breaking an agreed bond of exclusivity in a relationship.

Types of infidelity

  • Physical infidelity: Sexual contact with someone outside the relationship (for example, sex, oral sex, or other physical intimacy).
  • Emotional infidelity: Forming a deep romantic or intimate emotional bond with someone else, even without sex, especially when it is secretive or prioritized over the partner.
  • Digital/online infidelity: Sexting, explicit chats, sending intimate photos, or maintaining secret online romantic connections.

Why definitions differ

  • Different couples draw the line in different places: some see flirting or secret texting as infidelity, while others reserve the term for physical affairs.
  • Cultural, religious, and personal values shape what people consider ā€œcheating,ā€ so two partners in the same relationship may not automatically share the same definition.

Emotional impact and context

  • Infidelity is a common cause of relationship distress, breakups, and divorce because it is experienced as a violation of trust and exclusivity.
  • People who discover a partnerā€™s infidelity often report feelings such as shock, anger, jealousy, grief, and anxiety about the future of the relationship.

How couples define it together

  • Many therapists recommend that partners talk openly about what they consider infidelity (for example, rules around flirting, porn, private messaging, or friendships) to avoid painful misunderstandings later.
  • Some modern relationships are consensually nonā€‘monogamous; in those cases, infidelity usually means breaking the agreed rules, not simply having more than one partner.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.