Friends, Enemy Or Frenemies?

Who is a friend and who is a foe? The distinction between the two is easier than finding out an enemy in disguise – Frenemy! Merriam Webster dictionary defines friend as someone who is attached to another byaffection or is a favored companion. An enemy is someone who is antagonistic to another person. The word Frenemy was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2008.This term itself is an oxymoron and means someone who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy.

Frenemy: Difficult to Recognize
While you know well your defined enemy, the frenemy is difficult to pick and could ditch you whenever you need a helping hand. The word Frenemy, is one of the wonderful, comic neologisms which became popular after it was mentioned on the TV drama,‘Sexand the City’. It describes those situations where someone smiles to your face, but eventually proves true to have had ulterior motives.

Frenemy is someone who gives you praise one moment, but spreads gossip unnoticed the very next. It is someone who acts as a consultant, for a service, or for guidance, but is never on your side.

Frenemies are more Dangerous
Frenemies could be more dangerous than enemies as you are not aware about them although you are well aware about the enemies. It happens in an individual’s life very often and holds true about a country also. A Frenemy may become a part of one’s circle due to:

• Social media platforms: We hardly give a second thought to make friends at social media.

• Mutual friend : One may have acquired a frenemy as a result of a tight mutual friend group or a long history with a person you can’t seem to escape.

• Work place: In a performance driven work culture, the number of working hours have increased and so do the competition among employees. This sometimes results in dislikes which may further result in Frenemies.