Unfriend? Defriend? Or just get lost!

By Fred Derf
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Unfriend? Defriend? Or just get lost!  

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  1. 1. On social network sites what is the action called when you remove someone from your friends list?

    • Unfriend: "If you are late for the movie then I'll unfriend you"
      6
    • Defriend: "If you are late for the movie then I'll defriend you"
      5
    • Verbose: "If you are late for the movie then I'll remove you from my friends list"
      18
    • Vulgar: "If you are late for the movie then you can **** off and die, permanently."
      4
    • Doormat: "I'll keep you as a friend even if you miss the movie".
      7
    • Loner: "I never added you in the first place but I have no problem seeing a movie alone anyway".
      4
    • Neanderthal: "What is a friends list?"
      5
    • Other (although I fail to see how the above choices could be considered inadeqate)
      2
    • Other other (when the above other just doesn't cut it)
      2

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Grand Master

Denis W. Veteran

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Vulgar. :rofl:

In all seriousness, I've never heard people use the term "unfriend." It's always been verbose.

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lee31

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I can't believe just how dumb some people are by thinking they can use 'un' or 'de' prefixes before friend. You can't 'not friend' someone and you can' t 'do the opposite of friend' someone which is what you are saying by using both prefixes.

'un' means 'Not', ie unsatisfied, undesireable, unfortunate, and both 'un' and 'de' also mean 'reverse action' ie undo, untie, unscrew, unlock, defrost, decode, deice, etc.

'Friend' is an actual person not an action of doing somesome, with the opposite being a stranger. The action of becoming friends or adding someone as a friend on sites such as facebook is 'befriend'. The action of no longer being friends or removing them from sites such as facebook is 'estrange'.

This is all basic primary school English. The education of some people is appalling.

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Grand Master

Calum Veteran

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I wouldn't remove somebody from my 'Friends' list just because they missed seeing a movie with me :p However, I would use the verbose phrase if anything because I personally do not think "unfriend" is correct.

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Grand Master

Fred Derf Veteran

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I can't believe just how dumb some people are by thinking they can use 'un' or 'de' prefixes before friend. You can't 'not friend' someone and you can' t 'do the opposite of friend' someone which is what you are saying by using both prefixes.

'un' means 'Not', ie unsatisfied, undesireable, unfortunate, and both 'un' and 'de' also mean 'reverse action' ie undo, untie, unscrew, unlock, defrost, decode, deice, etc.

'Friend' is an actual person not an action of doing somesome, with the opposite being a stranger. The action of becoming friends or adding someone as a friend on sites such as facebook is 'befriend'. The action of no longer being friends or removing them from sites such as facebook is 'estrange'.

This is all basic primary school English. The education of some people is appalling.

What you are missing is the fact that people are already using friend as a verb. i.e. "Tell me your Facebook name then I'll friend you." Given that context, it is perfectly natural to unfriend or defriend somebody. It makes at least as much sense as "deplane" (to exit a aeroplane) and that is used every time one travels.

Verbose?

Verbose just means the wordiest (the most long winded) option.

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Grand Master

DaveLegg Developer

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I wouldn't remove somebody from my 'Friends' list just because they missed seeing a movie with me :p However, I would use the verbose phrase if anything because I personally do not think "unfriend" is correct.

OUP publish the OED, and if the OUP say it's in the OED, then it's in the English language, and thus correct.

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Grand Master

Calum Veteran

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OUP publish the OED, and if the OUP say it's in the OED, then it's in the English language, and thus correct.

That's an excellent point! If it's in the dictionary, then it's good enough for me :) So yes, I take back what I said - it is a word. I still don't think I'd use it though just like I don't use "friend" as a verb.

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lee31

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OUP publish the OED, and if the OUP say it's in the OED, then it's in the English language, and thus correct.

You missed the fact that it was their American counterparts (why am I not surprised?) not those in the UK and it's not in the OED and never will be. The article was clearly written by the OUP USA and the dictionary in question as also clearly mentioned is the NEW Oxford American Dictionary not the OED.

You can't have 'friend' as a verb, that's what 'befriend' is for.

No where in the OED does 'friend' appear as a verb and rightly so.

All these stupid made up internet terms are ruining the English language and I'm not going to apologise for saying this but I blame the americans.

It's mostly them coming up with these stupid and inaccurate terms and I can honestly say I've never heard anyone in the uk say either un or de-friend so I suspect it one of those dumb only or mainly american things and Fred Derf I can also say I've never heard anyone say deplane either.

People who use nouns as a verb just look retarded to me.

Edited by lee26
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Grand Master

DaveLegg Developer

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You missed the fact that it was their American counterparts (why am I not surprised?) not those in the UK and it's not in the OED and never will be. The article was clearly written by the OUP USA and the dictionary in question as also clearly mentioned is the NEW Oxford American Dictionary not the OED.

You can't have 'friend' as a verb, that's what 'befriend' is for.

No where in the OED does 'friend' appear as a verb and rightly so.

All these stupid made up internet terms are ruining the English language and I'm not going to apologise for saying this but I blame the americans.

It's mostly them coming up with these stupid and inaccurate terms and I can honestly say I've never heard anyone in the uk say either un or de-friend so I suspect it one of those dumb only or mainly american things and Fred Derf I can also say I've never heard anyone say deplane either.

People who use nouns as a verb just look retarded to me.

As it happens I live in Oxford, and go to Oxford uni, OUP is about 500m to my left as I write this. As a student at Oxford, I have access to their online dictionary, and a search for "unfriend" reveals two results, one a noun, one a verb. It turns out the term "unfriend" has existed in the english language as a verb since 1659.

post-78707-1258641075_thumb.png

Edit: Oh, and friend is there as a verb too:

post-78707-1258641256_thumb.png

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lee31

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As it happens I live in Oxford, and go to Oxford uni, OUP is about 500m to my left as I write this. As a student at Oxford, I have access to their online dictionary, and a search for "unfriend" reveals two results, one a noun, one a verb. It turns out the term "unfriend" has existed in the english language as a verb since 1659.

post-78707-1258641075_thumb.png

Edit: Oh, and friend is there as a verb too:

post-78707-1258641256_thumb.png

350 years? The OED didn't start until 1857 and it does not appear anywhere in the actual paper copy so it don't exist as far as I'm concerned.

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Grand Master

DaveLegg Developer

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350 years? The OED didn't start until 1857 and it does not appear anywhere in the actual paper copy so it don't exist as far as I'm concerned.

So because the dictionary is newer than the word, the word doesn't exist? That's just rediculous. Which paper copy are you reffering to? I assure you, if I walk to any of the libraries in Oxford to check a paper copy of the full OED, it will be in there. There are literally thousands of words not included in the concise edition, for obvious reasons.

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lee31

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So because the dictionary is newer than the word, the word doesn't exist? That's just rediculous. Which paper copy are you reffering to? I assure you, if I walk to any of the libraries in Oxford to check a paper copy of the full OED, it will be in there. There are literally thousands of words not included in the concise edition, for obvious reasons.

I'm talking about the 20 volume edition. I also have the full cd version.

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Grand Master

Kudos Veteran

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350 years? The OED didn't start until 1857 and it does not appear anywhere in the actual paper copy so it doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned.

Seems to me that you don't need the American's help to ruin your language ;)

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Grand Master

DaveLegg Developer

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I'm talking about the 20 volume edition. I also have the full cd version.

You're sure you're looking it up properly? Does your copy contain the word "Friend" in verb form (which you earlier also claimed was wrong)? That has been in use since 1225.

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