Dude is a slang word for man or guy, and men typically use it to address each other. So if you’re chilling with a guy and he calls you dude, you will want to know what it means. Does he see her as one of the guys? Does he think she acts like a man? Or is he so used to hanging around with men that he refers to everyone as dude. When your crush calls you dude, you’re probably wondering if he’s friend zoned you because, in general, men don’t address the women they’re attracted to like this. However, before you jump to conclusions, there are several reasons why a guy might call a girl dude. Keep reading to find out. Don’t forget to look at the 19 other pet names guys give girls after you finish this article.
Is Dude A Compliment?
No, dude is not a compliment. It’s simply the way men address each other sometimes. When they meet up or answer the phone, they might say, “What’s up, dude?” Or if they’re having a conversation and want to stress something important, they’ll say, “Listen, dude!” So, in general, dude is a random term that men use and is not used in a complimentary fashion.
What Does It Mean When A Guy Calls You Dude?
It can mean several things when a guy calls you dude, including he sees you as one of the guys, he thinks you act like a man, or he refers to everyone as dude.
Boo, Dude, CrazySweetheart, LadyShawty, Pretty, BeautifulAdorable, Hot, HunBro, Daddy, MommyBabe, Love, GorgeousSweet, Sexy
Keep reading to find out what it means when a guy calls a girl dude.
#1 He Sees You As One Of The Guys
As mentioned, guys call each other dude all the time because that’s just how they talk to each other. It’s a part of their banter, they are always throwing out random words, and dude is one of them. If you’ve ever been around a group of men, you’ll notice they say dude several times throughout their conversation. It’s not something they think about, even men who don’t know each other refer to themselves as dude.
#2 He Thinks You Act Like A Man
I personally don’t believe there’s any such thing as acting like a man. But since we live in a world where gender has been defined for us, women are often labeled as acting like men, and vice versa, if they don’t conform to society’s standards. For example, a woman working on a construction site doing heavy lifting, a female truck driver, or a female garbage collector is often described as masculine because she’s working in a male-dominated field. She may go home, put on a pink dressing gown and sip a glass of wine while watching reruns of Sex and the City. However, because of her day job, she is perceived as masculine. A guy might call you dude because of this.
#3 He Refers To Everyone As Dude
Some men refer to everyone as dude because it’s easier to address people that way. They probably don’t call strangers dude because it is well-known that the term is used to describe men. But when he’s around females he’s familiar with and knows they won’t get offended by being called dude, he might drop it in the conversation every now and then.
#4 He’s Comfortable With You
Men are generally more comfortable around each other than they are with females. Since they can be themselves and don’t need to put on a front because they’re not trying to impress each other, using the word dude is something that flows naturally. If he’s comfortable around you, as well as call you dude, he might do the following:
#1 He’ll Talk About Anything
Does he have random conversations with you about any and everything? That’s because he’s comfortable around you and doesn’t feel the need to be selective about what he talks about. He knows you’ll embrace whatever he has to say, whether you agree with it or not, because you’re not judgemental.
#2 He’ll Reveal His Secrets
Everyone has got skeletons in the closet and things about us we don’t want anyone else to know. But there are some people we trust completely and feel so comfortable around that we don’t mind them knowing our deepest, darkest secrets.
#3 He’ll Let You Use His Phone
Phones are known to destroy relationships because whatever you need to know about a person, you’ll find it in their phone. All the flirty text messages he sends to other women and the Corn he watches are all stored on that little gadget. So when a man has something to hide, the last thing he’s going to do is let you use his phone. If you’re battery dies while you’re out and you ask him to use his phone, he’ll give it to you without thinking about it.
#4 He’ll Disagree With You
When a man is interested in a woman, he’ll often agree with everything she says because he doesn’t want to offend her or put her off. But when he’s past that stage and wants her to know him for who he really is, he’ll have no problems disagreeing with her.
#5 There Are No Uncomfortable Silences
When a man and woman don’t feel comfortable around each other, they fill the silence with non-stop chit-chat about nothing. They ask random questions with no substance, all in the name of filling the void. However, when two people are comfortable around each other, silence doesn’t feel weird.
#5 He Wants To Know How You Will Respond
One of the character traits some men look for in women is how seriously they take themselves. If you can’t poke fun at yourself, don’t have a sense of humility, or can’t accept anyone else’s opinion apart from your own, the first date with your crush will be your last. Because most men know referring to a woman using masculine terminology is an insult, they want to know how you’ll respond to it. He’ll be impressed if you take it with a pinch of salt, laugh it off, or give just as good as you get. But if you get offended and start having a hissy fit because of it, he probably won’t call you back.
#6 He Knows You Like Him
If your crush knows you like him, he might tease you by calling you dude. Some men like playing games with the women that are attracted to them. They do this because they’re getting to know her and don’t want to give her the wrong impression, or he’s attracted to her too, but because he’s shy, he teases her by calling her dude.
#7 He Has A Girlfriend
If he has a girlfriend, he might call you dude to make her feel comfortable. Let’s say she’s your partner on a project in college or work, and you need to speak to each other on the phone once a week. If you call when he’s with his girlfriend, he’ll refer to you as dude because it lets his girlfriend know he’s not attracted to you in any way, shape, or form.
#8 He Is Not Looking For A Relationship
A man can find you attractive and think you’ve got an awesome personality. In terms of girlfriend material, you tick all the boxes, but it’s bad timing. Maybe he doesn’t feel he’s financially secure enough or wants to focus on his studies. But either way, he’s not ready for a relationship. He knows you’re attracted to him because people have told him and the way you act when you’re around him makes it really obvious. However, he wants to ensure you don’t get the wrong impression, so he’ll call you dude to let you know that things won’t go any further.
#9 He’s Being Playful
A guy might have banter with the girl he likes and call her dude to be playful. You might be wrestling or playing on a computer game together, and calls you dude when you start beating him, or he’s trying to distract you so he can get the upper hand.
#10 He’s Being Rude
As mentioned, most men are aware it can be offensive to call a woman dude, so if he thinks you’re annoying, he might call you dude intentionally to upset you. Because he finds you irritating, he wants you as far away from him as possible, and offending you will help him achieve that.
Is Dude A Friend Zone Word?
Dude is not necessarily a friend zone word, but it can be. If a guy has no romantic feelings for a woman whatsoever, he might call her dude to let her know that he views their relationship as strictly platonic and nothing else. However, as you’ve read, there are several other reasons why a guy calls a girl dude, including whether he’s comfortable with her, or he’s attracted to her and wants to know whether she gets offended easily.
What Is The Difference Between Bro and Dude?
There really isn’t much difference between the meanings of these two words. You might hear men referring to each other as bro or dude during a conversation. It simply depends on which term they feel like using at the moment. But essentially, they mean the same thing. It’s how men address each other, and it doesn’t go much further than that.
How Do You Respond When He Calls You Dude?
There are several ways to respond to a guy when he calls you dude, including don’t get annoyed, ask him why he called you dude or by brushing it off. Keep reading to find out how to respond to a guy when he calls you dude.
#1 Don’t Get Annoyed
There’s a chance he might be testing you to find out whether you’re the type of woman who gets offended easily. If that’s the case, even if you are offended, it’s important you don’t get annoyed, or you’ll fail the test, and he’ll quickly move on to the next.
#2 Ask Him Why He Called You Dude
If you really want to know what it means when a guy calls you dude, the best thing to do is ask him. As soon as he says it, ask, and he’ll give you an answer right there and then. Explain to him that a guy has never called you dude before, and you find it odd. Additionally, reassure him you’re not offended so he doesn’t feel embarrassed.
#3 Brush It Off
When a guy calls you dude, brush it off and keep it moving. You might find it a bit weird and wonder why a man would call a woman dude. But if you don’t want to kill the vibe, continue on with the conversation as normal.
#4 Call Him Dude Back
If you want him to acknowledge that you heard him call you dude, call him dude back. In this way, you’re letting him know that you feel just as comfortable around him as he does around you.
#5 Laugh About It
Bring it to his attention that you realize he called you dude by laughing about it. If he did it on purpose because he wants to see your response, laughing about it is a great way to show him that you don’t take yourself too seriously. But it will also help you determine why he called you dude. If he’s trying to friend-zone you, he might say something like, “I call all my friends dude.” If he calls everyone dude, he might say something like, “Don’t worry about it, I call everyone dude.” If he’s testing you, he might say something like, “I like the way you don’t take yourself too seriously.”
Final Thought
A guy calling a girl dude is not the end of the world. If he’s friend zoned you, you’ll have to accept it and move on. If he’s trying to offend you, don’t fall into his trap, and if he called you dude because he feels comfortable around you, that’s a great thing. Either way, don’t take it too seriously.