Is Flirting Cheating? 33 Men Give Their Uncensored Answer

Is flirting cheating? The people weigh in.

1. “It depends on the intention. I don’t consider it cheating if someone is flirting to get out of a traffic ticket or if someone is trying to butter up their boss. But if the intention is to sleep with another person or get another person to fall for them, then yeah, it’s totally cheating.” — Matthew, 26

2. “I personally consider any form of flirting cheating. Whenever I’m in a relationship, I take it seriously. The only person I want to flirt with is my girlfriend. She’s more than enough for me.” — Seth, 30

3. “I’ve dated flirtatious women in the past and it never bothered me. The only problem is if she’s flirting with other guys all the time but stops flirting with me. Just because you’ve been dating someone for years doesn’t mean you should stop putting in effort and acting playful.” — Joshua, 22

4. “There are different levels of flirting. Have I complimented other women on their appearance? Yes and I don’t see a problem with that. But those comments are casual. I don’t go out of my way to text other women to tell them I miss them or that they looked sexy that day. That would be wrong. That would feel like cheating.” — Joel, 29

5. “I feel like flirting is only cheating if it would make my wife upset. She doesn’t care when I get a little touchy with her best friend because she trusts us both so I do that once in a while. But she would kill me if I got lunch with my ex so I would never dream of doing that.” — Craig, 26

6. “Honestly, it depends on the relationship. I’ve had exes who didn’t care about me holding hands with other girls and other exes who didn’t even want me to have female friends. You have to set boundaries with each other in the beginning so no one crosses them on accident.” — Kris, 23

7. “I don’t care if you’re physically cheating or emotionally cheating. It’s still cheating. If my girlfriend flirted with someone else in front of me, I would break up with her on the spot. No exceptions.” — Manny, 24

8. “Maybe I’m weird but I think it’s sexy to watch other guys drool all over my girlfriend. I actually encourage her to flirt with them. As long as she’s coming home with me at the end of the night, I don’t see a problem.” — Greg, 27

9. “I have been cheated on before and it sucks. I would never want to put my girlfriend through that kind of pain, so I’m very careful about how I treat other women. I never flirt with them. Not even a little.” — Todd, 21

10. “People have called me a player and a fuckboy and all that crap, but my girl knew what she was getting into when she started dating me. I’m flirtatious. I’m a people person. I like to talk to other women — I might even get their phone numbers — but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with them. I’m one loyal motherfucker.” — Jacob, 28

11. “Every time I start dating someone, I see how they behave around other men. If they are flirty, then I feel like I’m allowed to be flirty with other women. Basically, I copy whatever they do because if they get mad, they’re a hypocrite. ” — Noel, 22

12. “Texting exes and getting touchy with other men and having a work husband isn’t technically cheating — but it is something I would break up with someone over.” — Brian, 25

13. “I wear a ring on my finger. I have pictures of my wife as my phone screen. And if anyone tries to flirt with me, I mention my marriage right away. Years ago, I made a promise to stay loyal and I intend on keeping that promise.” — Stephen, 31

14. “Sex is cheating. I don’t even consider kissing cheating. So no, I don’t think flirting is cheating. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. People are way too sensitive nowadays.” — Daniel, 20

15. “I mean, flirting isn’t really cheating, but it would piss my girlfriend off so I never do it. Better safe than broken up with.” — Andrew, 26

16. “I’m not a commitment guy. It makes me feel trapped. But flirting with other women makes me feel like I still have some level of freedom. Honestly, I don’t think I would be able to stay in one relationship for the rest of my life if I wasn’t allowed to flirt.” — Aaron, 29

17. “If I’m being completely honest here, I don’t think flirting is cheating. But my girlfriend says flirting is cheating so I’ve stopped doing it. She’s the boss.” — Tyler, 22

18. “I flirt with other women all the time. I don’t consider it cheating. I don’t even consider it a bad thing. After all, what my wife doesn’t know can’t hurt her, right?” — Kevin, 33

19. “There are different kinds of flirting. I’ve smiled at someone from across the room but I have never given out my phone number or held hands with someone while I was already in a relationship with someone else.” — Zach, 26

20. “I don’t believe in emotional cheating. It’s only cheating if it’s physical. If my penis hasn’t gone in her mouth or vagina, then I’m innocent.” — Randal, 23

21. “Cheating is a strong word. I only consider sex, kissing, and maybe grinding on the dance floor cheating. Everything else is fair game.” — Ross, 18

22. “This might sound fucked up but I feel like flirting is only cheating when it happens with someone hot. I flirt with unattractive girls all the time and don’t feel guilty about it because my girlfriend would never consider them a threat.” — Christopher, 23

23. “It’s only cheating if you’re hiding what you’re doing. I might flirt a little with a waitress in front of my girlfriend and won’t feel weird about it. But I would never text someone behind her back or flirt when she was miles away and couldn’t defend herself if she felt like I crossed a line.” — John, 27

24. “Flirting is natural. It’s human nature. You can’t call everything cheating just because it makes you feel uncomfortable.” — Tristan, 21

25. “I’m guilty of flirting with other women from time to time and I wouldn’t consider myself a cheater. But I wouldn’t exactly consider myself the most loyal boyfriend in the world either.” — Andre, 25

26. “I wouldn’t want my girlfriend flirting with any other guys, but I don’t know if I would go as far as calling it cheating. I know I would feel betrayed though. It would suck.” — Daryl, 32

27. “If I’m flirting with another girl, it’s not cheating. But if my girl is flirting with another guy, it is cheating. It’s more natural for guys, you know?” — Nathan, 30

28. “Flirting isn’t cheating but it leads directly towards cheating. If you’re flirting with other people all the time, you’re going to be tempted more often and you’re eventually going to slip up. That’s how I feel.” — Sven, 22

29. “I think it’s okay to flirt with someone you’re never going to see again. But I would never flirt with anyone at my office or any of my female friends. That would complicate things.” — Niko, 19

30. “As far as I’m concerned, flirting means you’re unhappy in your relationship. So why would I stay with someone like that?” — William, 26

31. “My girlfriend can flirt with anyone she wants as long as her shirt doesn’t come off.” — Shane, 18

32. “Flirting is NOT a big deal. I don’t get why everyone gets so mad about it! Who cares? If you trust the person you’re with, it shouldn’t matter if they’re having fun talking to someone else for a change. Be more confident in your relationship. Be more confident in yourself.” — Jamal, 23

33. “If you flirt with someone else while you’re in a relationship with someone who loves you, you’re a piece of shit. Enough said.” — Benjamin, 28 

Is flirting cheating? What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments.