withholding affection
Denying warmth deliberately
Withholding affection is deliberately refusing to show warmth, love, or physical closeness to someone—typically a romantic partner, child, or family member—as a form of punishment or manipulation.
The behavior can include refusing touch, ignoring, or giving the silent treatment: He's been withholding affection ever since our argument.
When used as a control tactic in relationships, it's considered a form of emotional abuse.
- coldnessLow temperature state
- distantFar away or aloof
- rejectionDenial of acceptance
- silent treatmentRefusing to speak
- emotional neglectFailure to meet feeling-needs
emotional unavailability · stonewalling · shutting down · punishing · manipulation · playing games · withdrawal · pulling away · icy · shutting out · turning away · love bombing · conditional love · abandonment · cruelty · sulking · passive-aggressive · freezing out
- manipulation tacticsgaslighting, guilt trip, guilt-tripping, guilt tripping, emotional blackmail
- marital problemsinfidelity, adultery, cheating, affair, divorce
- emotional neglectneglect, emotional neglect, emotional unavailability, emotional deprivation, emotional distance
withholding affectionemotional availability
Receptiveness to others' feelings
wearing one's heart on one's sleeve · tenderness · effusiveness · doting
withholding affectionnurturing
Supportive care-giving
cherishing · unconditional love · secure attachment · embracing · attentiveness
withhold, withholds, withheld, holding, holder, holders, holdout, behold, uphold