Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Life
    2. Relationships

    Have you heard of R-bombing? It's the latest dating trend we know all too well

    Jadie Troy-Pryde's avatar
    By Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Published 30 July 2019 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    r-bombing dating trend 1092662780
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Dating etiquette isn't hard, and yet there are so many trends out there and they've all got names now. There's cushioning (when someone lines up another partner while dating you), kondo-ing (dumping the person that don't spark joy) and sneating (dating someone for free food), and that's just scratching the surface.

    The latest dating trend on the scene, however, is R-bombing. Sounds pretty dramatic, but the premise is actually quite simple: leave someone on read and never reply.

    That's right. When the annoying blue ticks appear but a response never does. We've all been there - whether we've been on the R-bombing receiving end or are guilty of it ourselves - but only now do we have a name for letting someone know that we've read their message but decided not to keep the convo going.

    Sometimes it happens by accident. How many times have you R-bombed a friend despite your best intentions to reply (eventually)? However, if it's happening in a romantic capacity it's probably not a good sign - for either party.

    Dating coach James Preece told the Independent: 'This is incredibly common both by text and through social media.

    You may like
    • A woman running into the sunset on the beach "Soft Hermitting" Is Trending on TikTok—and Promises to Be the Antidote to Hustle Culture
    • A woman's collarbones with a shell necklace and slip camisole top "Protecting Your Boundaries" Is One of 2026's Biggest Buzzphrases—But Therapists Say We're Using It Wrong
    • Obsession is a 2025 American supernatural psychological horror film The Horror of Having a Crush in the Social Media Age

    'It's very similar to ghosting, only you have no doubts they have got your message. You'll be confused and wonder why they aren't responding. The truth is that the other person doesn't want to meet but doesn't want to hurt you by explicitly saying so.'

    He recommends that you 'focus on finding someone who treats you respectfully' if you're a victim of R-bombing.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    And if you're guilty of it, maybe politely let the other person know that you're not interested instead of ignoring them so that they get the message.

    Basically, be dating-kind, people.

    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Social Links Navigation
    News Editor

    Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.

    Read more
    A woman running into the sunset on the beach
    Wellbeing "Soft Hermitting" Is Trending on TikTok—and Promises to Be the Antidote to Hustle Culture
    A woman's collarbones with a shell necklace and slip camisole top
    Wellbeing "Protecting Your Boundaries" Is One of 2026's Biggest Buzzphrases—But Therapists Say We're Using It Wrong
     
     
    Obsession is a 2025 American supernatural psychological horror film
    Life The Horror of Having a Crush in the Social Media Age
    Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
    Relationships Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
     
     
    Latest in Relationships
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker
    Relationships Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived
     
     
    Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
    Relationships Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Michelle Obama Liffner bag
    Fashion Michelle Obama Just Wore the Sophisticated Bag Brand Every Fashion Insider is Obsessed With
    Poppy Wang
    Fashion 5 Experts Explain the Nuances of the ‘Mandarin Jacket’ Trend
     
     
    A woman drinking a cup of tea in bed
    Health and Fitness 5 Everyday 'Life Admin' Habits That Are Secretly Exhausting You
    Erborian Triple Care BB Milk
    Skincare I Thought My Dull, Lifeless Skin Needed More Actives—This Milky Essence Was Actually the Solution
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.