20 Ridiculous Phrases Men Use to Break up with Us ...

Well, according to my dating experience and to the experience of my girlfriends, "It's not you, it's me." line isn't the most ridiculous one men came up with to break up with us. There's lots more where that came from!

I've just put together a list of 20 Ridiculous Break Up Phrases from Men I've ever heard of and my translation of what they really mean.

Have you heard even better ones than these? Please share them and we'll complete this list together! ;)

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"I'm Just Not Ready for a Relationship Right Now, but if I Were... You'd Be the One!"

aka:"I'm still not ready to spend the rest of my life sleeping with one person, but if I were, it might be you."

"I Still Really Care about You."

aka: "... Just not enough to really date you or spend much time with you. But I still care!"

"I'd Love to Still Be Friends and Hang out after All This."

aka: "Can you hook me up with your hot friends after you get over me dumping you?"

"I Just Really Need to Focus on (fill in the Blank... School, Job, God, Whatever) Right Now."

aka: "I don't think you'll take this break-up well, but you can't argue with this one."

"I'm Moving to a Foreign Country, but I'll Call You when I Get Back."

aka: "I've got to get away from you, fast!"

"You Can do so Much Better than Me!"

aka: "And I know I can do so much better than you!"

***

This phrase is a double whammy of insult and faux humility, often intended to soften the blow but actually doing the opposite. It sends a contradictory message – on one hand, suggesting they’re not worthy of you, while on the other, insinuating they’ve got grander prospects ahead. The subtext here is clear: they’re trying to absolve themselves of guilt by framing the breakup as a favor to you. But let's be real: it's patronizing at best. The implication that you're in competition for who 'wins' post-relationship is simply unnecessary.

"It Has Been so Great Getting to Know You, but I Think We Need to Spend Time with Other People."

aka: "I've already met someone I'd rather spend more time with."

"I've Got a Fear of Commitment."

aka: "I've got a fear of being tied to you for life!"

"I'm Feeling Smothered, and I Just Need to Get Some Space."

aka: "You're way too in my business, too fast - I am ready to get you out."

"the Guy Who Marries You is so Lucky!"

aka: "I just hope I'm not that lucky!"

"I Think We Need to See Other People and Just See What Happens."

aka: "I'm already sleeping with someone else, and I'm just telling you this before you find out."

"I Still Want to Be with You, but I Just Want to Take a Break."

aka: "I want to try sleeping around, but keep you close in case I can't find anyone else."

"I've Got a Lot of Issues I Need to Work on Right Now."

aka: "My main issue is that I'm just not that into you."

***

When a man trots out this line, it's tempting to nod understandingly – but let's be real. It's often not about his battle with existential dread or climbing the career ladder. It's code for, “You're not on my priority list”. And sure, self-improvement is noble, but when it's suddenly tabled as an all-consuming quest right as things should be heating up? Please. We weren't born yesterday. It's a soft letdown, a way to bow out without looking like the bad guy. But between us, it's a thinly veiled break-up cue. Watch for it.

"I Feel like You're More of a Friend than a Girlfriend to Me."

aka: "You're just not as cute as you were when we started dating."

"I Just Need Something More."

aka: "I'm not sure what more is, but I'm kind of bored, and this line sounds really convincing."

Related: 25 Worst Chatup Lines ...

"I'm Still Not over My Ex."

aka: Ouch. This one's probably true.

"I Wish We'd Met Five Years from Now Instead."

aka: "I'm really not that mature right now, but I probably will be in five years, and then I could've made a great boyfriend/husband!"

"We're Just in Totally Different Places in Our Lives!"

aka: "I'm in this place called I Want to Go Out Drinking, Partying, and Sleeping Around, and you're in this place called Let's Settle Down, and those two places don't fit well together."

"I Just Respect You so Much."

aka: "Please don't tell your friends I'm a jerk, because I might want to date some of them."

"I Think We Got Too Close, Too Fast."

aka: "When you put your toothbrush beside mine in the bathroom, that really freaked me out."

Post in the comments and let me know the worst ones you've heard of! There must be plenty I missed on ...

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Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

The one i heard most often was "i am not good enough for you" or "you deserve better than me" and then one had the nerve to ask me to be the future mother of his children because he said i was an amazing mommy. He said he just was not ready then. Lol ummm... No thanks!

The last one was funny :)

I have been having no strings attached sex with this guy since feb we had a small break when he told me he was going out on a date and didnt want to fuck around anymore, i carried on texting him as a mate and one day he asked if he could come round, it was pretty late and i knew why he was coming, i was fine about it since i was the one who suggested we have sex. id just come out of a 5yr abusive relationship and was in no hurry to start a new one. well last night he came over and we had amazing sex, id never had sex like it before, when he left we were still texting each other and he told me he would leave me his key so i could come and wake him up in the morning to have sex again, which we did. i sent him a text later in the day thanking him for the amazing sex, and his reply was ta but thats the last one now, because he wants to chill out a bit, it really hurt me and ruined my day, i thought how heartless, he could have been a bit nicer about it, im a little gutted that we wont have sex again but i knew that it wouldnt last from the beginning, i just want to say to anyone who has felt like this, you dont have to be in a relationship to have a broken heart

This article is great! I can't believe how many of these lines I have heard. But it seems like once you've fallen head over heels for someone, rational thought just goes out the door and no matter what they say, you hear what you want to hear. I dated this guy a few years back and was absolutely smitten with him. If only I had realized all those times he said "you deserve to be with somebody better" was really him saying "I'm not that into you but I don't have the guts to break it off". At one point, he even said "I don't think I can be your boyfriend, ever". Did I get the picture? Nope, love drunk in the extreme...only after he turned into a vapor trail did I finally get the picture and by then, I was crushed. You definitely do yourself a favor by listening to these signs and taking them for what they are. Cut your losses and move on to greener pastures!

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