How Long Is A 'Long-Term' Relationship?

[MsElizabeth96]

What do you think the minimum amount of time for a couple to have been together before their relationship can be considered long-term?

6 Months - 1 Year

1-2 Years

2-3 Years

4 Years or longer

[CallMeDave]

I voted B. I don't really have an exact time period where I would say "today this relationship became long-term" but I think that's it's probably somewhere in that 1-2 year time frame. I wouldn't consider anything less than a year to be long-term and even at just a little over a year I think it's questionable to call it long term, but by 2 years it seems pretty clear that it's something at least somewhat serious and not a short-term thing so I would consider it long-term by that point.

Time isn't the only factor though in my mind for what constitutes a long-term relationship. I think how much time you spend together has some effect on that. I had one relationship that was more than a year (maybe 16 months?), but we weren't spending a lot of time together and that time included a few months apart due to internships in different states. I don't really consider that long-term even though it might meet the time criteria. If I'd had a relationship of the same length where we spent a lot of time together or lived together, then I probably would consider that long-term so I think within the 1-2 year time frame, the seriousness of the relationship maybe is a factor too. Beyond 2 years though I think I'd call it long-term even if it is was a more casual relationship where we only got together a few times a month.

[razelove]

I think it depends on how old you are, also how intense the relationship is. Like in high school I would have said 6 months to a year, during my first marriage 2-3 years, then after that sank like the titanic I figured don't even call it a relationship until over a year has gone by and the puppy love is gone.

Then I met my wife, we moved at an extremely rapid pace, and I considered that something lifelong after only a few months. Now, here we are, over a decade later with a family, so it's all situational. Trying to tag an arbitrary number onto your relationship to define it doesn't change the relationship itself anyway. Like if you say 4 years, but you live together, share bills and basically your entire life after a year... ok, that's not long term lol

[StacyMeet]

I think it should be at least a year. However, my first relationship lasted for a year, second for 5 years and now I'm in my third one which is already 3 years and I don't consider that first relationship as something long-term and serious. I guess it depends on what experience you have. For some, 2 months may seem super long.

[Smashingdoozy]

I think once you past the year mark it's safe to say long term. At that point you pretty much know all each others flaws and the only reasons really for breaking up would be cheating or just suddenly falling out of love rather than small things that irk you.

[shade_19]

Mine was 4 years
Where nearly 2 and a half years were basically Long distance relationship
I don't know if it's long term in true sense or no
Coz i wanted to be more in the relationship but it didn't work out coz we were supposed to be in long distance for more 4 years.
But ya it lasted veryy much... compared to those who just wanted to be in relationship

[David92506]

I remember watching a Seinfeld episode where he had a dinner date. She said she just got out of a 2-year relationship. Seinfeld said, "Wow, that's a long relationship." Just the way he said it made it funny.

[ChrisMaster69]

A year is heading long term, before then it’s casual.

although casual can go on for ages.

it’s more when you have certain commitments that a relationship starts becoming long term

[clampfan101]

For me a long term relationship is a lifelong relationship. Getting married till death do us part.
Not the same as a relationship that happened to go on for a long time.

[Jamie05rhs]

It's all relative, really. But I'd say a minimum of one year.

[EssenceOfLight]

longer than 6 months. Infatuation doesn't last longer than that.

[Mac-One]

Is (59 1/3+) years since 1st date long?

[Romeocuck]

From 1 year and above

[ashley040210]

im 35 and I've been married for 14 years

[Flower7]

2 years or more.

[Walamagicc]

3 years +

[Slim57]

6 months plus