Defining and Exploring Frenemy Relationships

ABSTRACT Despite the prevalence of frenemy references in popular culture and the significant impacts these relationships invariably can have on our lives, frenemy scholarship is limited, contradictory, and often used synonymously with ambivalent relationships. This study draws from 29 interviews to develop an empirical definition of the term frenemy. Results illustrate that study participants conceptualize the term as a relationship, often negative, steeped in situational ties and shared social connections that outwardly appears friendly, but is fraught with underlying competition, jealousy, or distrust. This study offers a more nuanced and refined definition of the term and suggests that frenemy is distinct from and should not be conflated with ambivalent relationships. Articulating and exploring frenemy dynamics provides insight into the development and enactment of these relationships.