In dating-speak, there may not be a more dreaded word than the f-word – friendship. The term "friend zone" was coined more than 20 years ago on the show Friends, in relation to Ross and Rachel's budding relationship. Now the term refers to an "almost" couple – two people who had romantic potential, but one somehow relegated the other to friendship status, despite the other's lingering romantic feelings. The romantic feelings are almost always one-sided and not reciprocated. There are a few ways to land in the friend zone. Unlike a true friendship, there isn't a lot of give and take in the friend zone. Almost always, the unwilling friend bends over backward to give the other person what he or she wants, hoping to stay in his or her good graces. The "friendzoned" person tends to want to sustain the relationship at any cost and will tend to avoid any sort of conflict to do so. Unfortunately, the friend will repress his or her own needs, while unconsciously communicating that his or her feelings don't matter.