Join the conversation: When is cheating cheating in a relationship?

At one point or the other every dating or married person may have used this words ‘she cheated on me or he is cheating on me’.

However it has been observed that the definition of the word ‘cheat’ differs. So I took this curious question ‘is sexual involvement the only definition of cheating or is having a particular type of closeness to the opposite sex also cheating’?



I went out to the streets to sample the opinions of Nigerians. You’ll be amazed at the responses.

Ayodeji Dalumo said ‘well I guess if you can’t confide in your partner then it is an indication of losing interest in that partner. Losing interest leads to sharing your deepest secrets and desires with another and to me that is kind of cheating’

Another young man Abiola Adekoya says he believes that ‘a person can cheat on his or her partner by spending quality time with another person. It is not until he has sex with a person. We can say we have sexual cheating, emotional cheating. Cheating is not only about sex, it’s about intimacy which may just be confiding in another person’.

Uzochi George on her part said that sexual involvement is the only criteria for cheating.

Ogbonnaya kalu a staff of FRCN however disagrees, insisting that that any form of intimacy is cheating.

Emmanuel David said ‘cheating is when you consciously do that thing that you and your spouse had verbally or intuitively agreed not to do behind each other’

Mrs. Georgina said ‘either ways is cheating if you go by the biblical way; it is a sin to tell someone things that you cannot tell your spouse.

Collins Akallonu said sexual involvement is the only definition of cheating because ‘you can’t have sex with your close friend even though you can tell them things’

‘My dear if he is simply leaving you out of the picture he is cheating on you and you can cheat in many ways, financial, emotional sexual and likes’, an architect, Yvonne says.

Although most of those interviewed were on the view that sex was the peak of infidelity and cheating, some others argued that a close relationship with another person other than your spouse could also be considered cheating.

So, what is cheating to you? Join the conversation…