How do you define "friend"?

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What's your definition of friend? What qualities are essential? For the longest time I thought a friend was anyone who would talk to me willingly and wasn't rude But I'm learning that's much too broad, so I need a narrower definition.

someone who's useful. more likely an AS. but we wouldn't call each other friends, just get the job done.

as far as girls, i've met many a grocery store cashier whom i instantly fell in love with. like you, i often confuse good rapport and politeness with being wanted and liked.

I assume a friend is someone you wanna spend time with, someone you trust and talk to without inhibition, and who feels the same way towards you.

A friend is someone that you want to spend time with, that you get along with. They wouldn't hurt them and they wouldn't hurt them.

I don't know about a friend, but I'd say that a best friend is someone you know you can tell anything to and they'll never mock you for being who you are. I feel quite lucky to have one of these.

To me a friend would be a person who likes me for who I am and want to spend time with me and who wants to share things in confidence with me, someone who I could both have fun with and be serious with...I would love to have such a friend and is often dreaming about it....

It's one of those things that is almost impossible to get a satisfactory definition for, but as Potter Stewart said, "I know it when I see it."

Someone you can talk to about your problems, someone you hang out with, go out with, someone you are close to and they are always there for you like when you need them to watch your kids and stuff when something comes up. They show you respect and treat you with it and hey care about you. They don't bully you or try and take advantage of you. They accept you for who you are and don't care what you have or what fetish you have.

An entirely reciprocal relationship that involves trust and acceptance and liking the other for what they truly are. This also involves a willingness to be of assistance to each other when needed, to "be there" for each other in times of happiness and sadness. There are people in my life whom I believe consider me a friend (I fulfill my role as I understand it) however I have trust/attachment issues that hinder me from ever becoming emotionally tied to another person. At most, in my perspective, I have close acquaintances.

For the longest time, I thought that too.. I think that's why teachers and stuff didn't take me seriously when I talked about how much I was being tormented. They'd ask if I had any friends, and I'd mention the 4 or 5 people who didn't treat me like something they'd scrape off the bottom of their shoe, and they'd tell me I was so lucky to have 4 or 5 friends.. I tried, very repeatedly, to express that the people I was talking about were the only people who didn't treat me like a pile of vomit. (literally, with wrinkled noses and everything.) They never got it, though, and I just had to keep suffering. I should have injured somebody. Then at least maybe someone would have realized that I wanted to die. Actually, they did realize that.. but unless somebody else complained about me, it "couldn't be serious."

I am actually the opposite of the stereotypical aspie in this respect. According to the stereotype, aspies consider anyone who talks to them occastionally or whatnot to be their friend. A broad definition of friendship or forming attachment too quickly.

I am the opposite. I have an extremely narrow view of friendship. 'Friend' is not a word that I throw around. If I sit next to someone every day in class and talk to them and occasionally eat lunch with them.. I would not call them my friend. If I have daily small-talk with some people at work.. I would not call them my friend. They are aquantences. I could probably count on one hand the number of people who I have considered friends in my life and none of them have lived up to my standards.

A friend is somone who I can trust completely. Someone who wants to spend time with me and will invite me places that they are going simply because they want me there. A friend is someone who is happy to hang out at home with me and play video or board games, watch disney movies and have stupid silly fun. A friend is someone who will tell me if they think I'm doing something stupid and give me advice and listen to me if I am upset. A friend would try to think of ways to make me happy and do little things to show me they care. A friend will always be there for me. A friend would be one of the most important people in my life, and I in theirs.

A friend will not spend time with other people cnstantly and never invite me along. A friend will not ever lie to me about anything. A friend will not tell me they support me to my face and turn around and tell others they think I am making a mistake. A friend would not take the people I just introduced them to and go off on their own with those people and leave me alone. A friend would not come to me with all their problems and be completely absent when I have problems of my own.

To me, a friend is an absolute. I, myself, am an absolute friend. My friends come before all else. Unfortunately I have never met someone who has held this view. I currently do not have any friends and I am not looking. Friendship takes too much time and energy and has very little benefits and a lot of pain.

According to Charles Lamb, a friend is another I.

ruveyn

A friend is a stranger added to ones Facebook-account in order to seem popular.

I'm mostly in agreement with Mitharatowen. Friend is an incredibly strong word for me as well, only someone that I could trust my life to would I consider a friend. Somehow, I've managed to make a total of three over my 22 years and it's taken forever to gain those 3. Everyone else is relagated down to close aquaintance to "Yeah I've heard of 'em."

A friend is someone you trust and want to interact a lot with who also trusts you and wants to interact a lot with you, when neither of you have any obligation to interact with each other.

If you like being around one friend the most and they like being around you the most you are "best friends".