Definite Relationship Deal Breakers to Look out For

Rachael Pace, Author

Rachael Pace

Expertise: Mental health, Parenting

Rachael Pace inspires with motivational articles on loving partnerships. She encourages making room for love and facing challenges together.

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Updated: 24 Jan, 2023

Table of Contents

Deal breakers can grow when anger, disengagement, or neglect appear, so communicate clearly, set healthy boundaries, and choose a partner who shows up for you.
Priorities and effort must feel like teamwork—have an open talk about needs, and if nothing changes, choose what protects your well-being.
Past cheating or low intimacy signal mismatch, so be honest about boundaries and values, pursue healing if possible, or choose a path that honors your well-being and deepest needs.

Often when we think about the ideal person that we would like to date we always tend to list out the good characteristics and virtues that we want in them, but what about the ones that we don’t want, the deal breakers? No matter how madly you’re in love, sometimes you will have to say “No, I don’t think it’s going to work” to some people. In the end, the bad overweighs the good.

Most of the relationship deal breakers usually don’t do as much harm in the beginning stages of the relationship, they tend to develop over longer spans and cause more damage over extended periods of time. We can point out a myriad of couples out in the world who have experienced in the initial phases of their relationship a deep and mystical connection with their partners, but over time, have arrived to the conclusion that they can’t put up with each other’s certain traits anymore.

In a survey done on over 6 500 individuals, it was found that among the most prevailing relationship deal breakers are the lack of a sense of humor, lack of confidence and self-esteem, low sex drive, too picky or too needy.

Although relationship deal breakers differ vary in degree between men and women, we can narrow the list down to some of the most prevailing relationship deal breakers that can be applied for both sexes.

Anger issues

This is always a deal breaker, no matter what. If your partner already exhibits signs of aggressive behavior, they will automatically become abusive partners in the future of your relationship with them.

Anger issues never go away over time, they tend to become even worse, and this ultimately will lead to a toxic relationship.

Laziness and addictions

These two work hand in hand as devastating negative traits you could have in a partner, and can absolutely be regarded as relationship deal breakers for the relationship.

No one wants to have in their care an addict who can’t take care of themselves, let alone of a relationship, because addicts are most of the times unable to offer full commitment.

Lack of support

In a relationship, for everything to work out, each partner has to put their own share of effort into it. If it’s not team play, then it’s not going to work.

If priorities have started to shift, and your partner isn’t investing the same amount of time and energy in the relationship with you, you can either sit down with them at the table and talk about setting their priorities straight back again, or cut off the relationship with them, if you feel that nothing is going to change.

A constant lack of support in the relationship makes it go nowhere, so there’s no need to go on with it if this continues to happen.

No matter what you do, it’s never enough to please them

If no matter what you say or what you do isn’t enough, then we think the time has time for you to call it quits with him or her. You may also be dealing with a narcissist, which is definitely a relationship deal breaker.

Former cheater

The saying “Once a cheater, always a cheater” couldn’t be more true. If you’re in a relationship someone whom you know has cheated in the past on one of his or her former partners, be prepared to be treated in the equally same manner as they were. We’re not saying that this is the absolute truth because some sinners may have learned their lesson and repented of their wrong ways but usually, most people never learn and tragedy repeats itself with them over and over again.

Low sex drive

If things aren’t going well in bed, then they aren’t working in the overall relationship that you have with your partner either. You have to start to ask yourself why your spouse is giving you the cold treatment. The lack of intimate contact between you and them is a very worrying signal that you have to take into account and deal with.

This relationship deal breaker can sometimes be regarded as a double relationship deal breaker, because it may signal that your partner is cheating on you.

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Rachael Pace Author

Rachael Pace is a noted relationship writer associated with Marriage.com. She provides inspiration, support, and empowerment in the form of motivational articles and essays. Rachael enjoys studying the evolution of loving partnerships... Read more and is passionate about writing on them. She believes that everyone should make room for love in their lives and encourages couples to work on overcoming their challenges together. Read less