Friendzone

Overall, relationships became more strained after attempts to convert to romance, regardless of whether they gave it a shot or went straight to the friendzone.

The bloke tries to get her attention back, but I've friendzoned him. Poor guy. I do feel bad for the ones who have to try so hard.

While being friendzoned is not a problem, what can be a problem is if it's not clear to both people that ONLY friendship and nothing more is on offer.

Whether friendzoning outcomes would be different depending on if the initiation took place in the context of an established "strong" friendship or a newer, more tenuous one is a question for further research.