25 Subtle Signs He Secretly Wants To Break Up With You

If the way your partner communicates with you has altered recently, it could be an indication that his feelings have changed. These variations in communication may be subtle, but they are definitely significant.

When relationships are new and still exciting, it seems like you and your partner can’t get enough of one another, so you are constantly texting each other throughout your day - much to the annoyance of your employer I’m sure! If your partner suddenly stops responding to your messages or won’t pick up the phone when you call, it is very likely that he’s starting to feel less excited at the prospect of talking to you.

If you’re lucky enough to receive a response to your messages or a call back, it can seem like he wants to get off the phone as quickly as possible because trying to carry on a conversation will be like pulling teeth. He won’t have a lot to say and most of his replies to your attempts to start a conversation will undoubtedly result in one word answers.

There’s also a possibility that those one word answers won’t even make sense because he probably wasn’t paying attention anyways. A clear indication of his lack of interest would be hesitation before answering a question, as he will be trying to figure out what the question was in the first place. You’ll also hear a lot of “uh huh” and “yeah, sure” responses.

Avoiding problems seems to be a guy’s classic approach to most uncomfortable situations. Guys aren’t known for talking about their feelings or expressing their concerns in a relationship because they feel awkward and it can often lead to other uncomfortable conversations they don’t want to have. If it seems like he’s avoiding you, he probably is.

When you do spend time together, he is more or less glued to his phone. Chances are, he’s probably looking at memes instead of paying attention to you. If you spend most of your restaurant visit annoyed at him for browsing Facebook and looking anywhere but at you, be ready to have “the talk.”

If it feels like he is constantly starting fights over insignificant matters, such as who left the light on or who ate the last of the ice cream, you should wonder what’s really going on. Continually choosing to have the same fight over and over again could mean that he’s trying to validate his reason for thinking about breaking up because the two of you have started fighting a lot.

New relationships often come with a lot of affection and the two lovebirds go out of their way to find ways to touch each other, even if it’s brief. Holding hands is a must and neither cares much about exposing other people to their PDA. So if your guy suddenly tries to put a physical distance between the two of you, that could be a clue he is thinking about leaving you.

If getting your guy to tell you how he feels about you feels like pulling teeth, you should be concerned. This is especially true if he’s never had an issue saying he loves you in the past. It could be that he doesn’t feel the way that he used to and he doesn’t want to lie to you, even though he’s not ready to breakup.

Not looking you in the eye can signify that he’s feeling guilty about something. More than likely, he still hasn’t quite figured out how to break the news to you.

Avoiding touching you will seem odd if you’re used to cuddling on the couch while catching up on your shows after a hard day of work. He will probably brush off your confusion by saying he’s too hot or he doesn’t really feel like cuddling at the moment. When the two of you go out together, he typically does sweet things like pulling out your chair for you, or guiding you through crowds with his hand on the small of your back. The last few times you've gone out, though, he may have left you to fend for yourself. This could be a sign that you're heading for a break up, because he no longer cares about doing those sweet things to show you that he cares about you.

A sudden lost interest in being physical with you definitely spells trouble for your relationship. Sure, he may really have a headache. Maybe he really did have a tough day at the office and isn’t in the mood...but being shut down multiple times after trying to put the moves on your guy could indicate he’s no longer interested in you and is thinking of breaking up.

A guy that is no longer interested in being in a relationship will often ditch you to hang out with his friends. You could have had plans to go to a movie or band he’s been dying to see but a guy wanting to divorce or break up with you will choose to hang out with his friends while they play video games for hours instead.

Forgetting when you have important dates or events planned can be an indication of an impending break up, too. He knows that they are important or special to you, but his lack of interest will show that he isn’t feeling the same way.

If he wants to break up, he may stop introducing you as his girlfriend, even though he’s referred to you as his girlfriend before. This is especially concerning if he’s stops referring to you as his girlfriend when introducing you to other women. It signifies that he doesn’t want them to think you are important because it could impede his chances with them later on.

Catching him openly staring down a woman’s backside as she walks by, or hearing him talk about a woman like she’s a piece of meat is highly inappropriate in general but guys usually wait to do that when they are with their guy friends. Openly acting that way in front of you is a red flag that he wants to break up.

This is a preemptive moves guys do when they are preparing to get back out there after a breakup. First he will change his profile picture from that cute photo you took together to one that showcases how attractive he is. Then, he will shy away from posting on your social media accounts. The next thing you know, he’ll be changing his relationship status from “in a relationship” to “single.”

A popular change in his social behavior is telling you he doesn’t want to hang out because he had a long day or is tired but then an hour a later you see he’s Snapchatting from the bar. His lack of concern that you can clearly see his Snapchat stories and his posts to Instagram show he’s not that into you anymore.

When a guy is thinking about divorcing his wife or breaking up with his girlfriend, he has to talk about it with someone. You’ll likely notice his friends start acting odd when you’re around and possibly exchanging knowing looks at one another. His mom might also stop returning your phone calls for fear of spilling the beans before he breaks up with you himself.

Hiding what he is doing on his phone is a big indication that he’s doing something he doesn’t want you to know about. Maybe he’s flirting with other girls in preparation of your breakup. Maybe he downloaded Tinder again. Whatever it is, he knows it will likely disrupt your trust in him.

When a couple starts spending time together, neither wants the other to feel awkward for making a joke that isn’t that funny. However, if he’s thinking about leaving you or breaking up, he’s not going to go out of his way to laugh at your terrible pun.

If you significant other suddenly starts blaming you for things that you have nothing to do with, he’s probably looking for ways to make himself feel better for considering divorce or a breakup. If you’re out to dinner and the server spills a glass of ice water across his lap and he takes his anger out on you, try not to get too upset because you deserve better anyway!

If your partner accuses you of being insecure, he probably knows that he’s been acting shady. There’s no reason for a woman who has never felt insecure before, to start feeling that way. Chances are, he’s probably giving you a reason to doubt him.

A clear indication that he’s thinking of leaving you is if he stops making plans for your future together. If you’ve talked about taking a vacation together for months but he suddenly doesn’t want to talk about it or he seems disinterested, be wary.

Similar to #22, if he’s talking about taking a job in a new city or attending university out of state but he doesn’t make any mention of how it will affect your relationship, chances are he’s not thinking of taking you with him. This is especially concerning if you’re married because it is common for married partners to make those types of decisions together, so divorce might be imminent.

Not showing an interest in what’s going on in your life is a sign he doesn’t plan on staying around long enough to see how it all plays out. If you share big news about a career opportunity and he lacks enthusiasm, big changes could be coming on the relationship front.

Make sure you keep an eye on the stuff he’s left at your place. If he’s planning on leaving you, he’ll make an effort to take back items he left there. This could be something as small as a t-shirt or as big as the flat screen TV he let you borrow. In his plan to break up with you, he will make sure to take back anything he feels attached to.

Trust your gut feeling and speak up if you think you’re experiencing some of these subtle signs. You don’t have to wait it out to see how he is feeling and you deserve an explanation if he feels like things aren’t working out. You won’t know anything concrete until you take charge and find out for yourself what is going on. If he ends things, you’re better off. Who wants to waste their time on a guy who can’t just be honest, anyways?