Friendship breakups are the worst. They hurt just as much as a romantic breakup, and sometimes, even more.

As someone who’s been through a ton of friend breakups, I can tell you that the pain never really goes away. Certain platonic relationships have a special level of intimacy that usually can’t be matched by a romantic partner. I mean, I still mourn ex-friendships from 15 years ago. Ex-boyfriends? Hardly.

That’s weird, right? Not at all, according to relationship experts.

A friend breakup can hurt just as much, if not more, than a romantic one.

“Some friendships can feel even deeper than your blood family — especially when you’re not close to blood family,” explained Angelika Koch, relationships and breakup expert at Taimi, an LGBTQ dating app. “This can add a layer of complexity when it comes to walking away from a friendship that no longer serves you.”

“Breaking up with a friend can feel more complicated than ending a romantic relationship because we don’t have the same cultural scripts or language for it,” said licensed marriage and family therapist Saba Harouni Lurie, the owner and founder of Take Root Therapy. “With romantic relationships, we understand that sometimes people aren’t compatible or that feelings change, but with friendships, there’s often an expectation that they should last forever or only end due to major betrayals.”

Why More Of Us Are Ghosting

One similarity between friendship breakups and romantic breakups is the upward trend of ghosting, that is, the practice of abruptly ending communication without explanation.

“‘Ghosting’ — as we understand it in 2025 — has increased in frequency over the past decades, likely due to the integration of social apps into everyday life and shifts in communication norms,” said Morgan Cope, assistant professor of psychology at Centre College and an expert on interpersonal relationships. “Around 13% of people report having ghosted someone in the past, and

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