FRENEMIES - Officially recognized

Do you have frenemies?

By Joanna Douglas, Shine Staff, on Thu Jul 9, 2009 12:32pm PDT

Today Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary added about 100 new words, most of them reflecting pop culture and societal trends like "frenemy," "staycation," and "webisode."

The word "frenemy" has been in our vocabulary since we first hear the word used in an episode of "Sex and the City." According to the new dictionary entry, the term dates to 1977 and means "one who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy." Frenemies do seem to be mostly prevalent in female relationships, particularly when one woman is highly competitive with another. A frenemy may try to steal your boyfriend or friends, trash talk you behind your back, borrow and ruin your clothes, sabotage your outfit, make you look bad at work, try to make you jealous, or do anything else that might cause you discomfort or frustration.

Some famous frenemies:

• Heather Locklear and Denise Richards
• Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan
• Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder
• Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera
• Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag
• Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Catrell
• Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton
• Miley Cyrus vs. Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato
• Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian
• Tyra Banks and Janice Dickinson

Have you ever had any frenemies in your life? Would you confront them or try to end the friendship once you recognized their shady behavior?

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