Because leeches are parasites, it's common for people to use the word as a metaphor for someone who sponges off of other people. If you have a friend who is always borrowing money but never pays it back, and who is known for requesting favors without granting them in return, you can call him a leech.
The Leech. This type of friend always needs you and expects you to drop everything when they call. While it is important to be a supportive friend, with this type of friend, you have to set boundaries. If you do not, after a while, this type of friend will drain your energy and your time.
If you describe someone as a leech, you disapprove of them because they deliberately depend on other people, often making money out of them. [disapproval] They're just a bunch of leeches living off others! Synonyms: parasite, hanger-on, sycophant, freeloader [slang] More Synonyms of leech.
Here, a leech refers to an individual who downloads the files or data without uploading anything in exchange. Such a person is also known as a leecher.
Today's topic- The Leech: The leech is the person that is sucking the life out of the relationship. It's not about how the leech can help you, but how this opportunity helps the leech. The leech is parasitic and self-serving, it may be seeking experience, recognition, or money.
Some common synonyms of leech are parasite, sponge, sycophant, and toady. While all these words mean "a usually obsequious flatterer or self-seeker," leech stresses persistence in clinging to or bleeding another for one's own advantage. a leech living off his family and friends.
In a toxic friendship, you never feel that support or compassion. You feel minimized when they brush off your problems or ignored outright if they never respond to your messages or requests for help. In short, they aren't there for you when you need a friend most.
A toxic friend will have a hard time sharing you with other friends and tend to get really jealous when you're with other people. A toxic person shifts blame and tries to put a wedge between you and your existing friendships.
From Middle English leche (“blood-sucking worm”), from Old English lǣċe (“blood-sucking worm”), akin to Middle Dutch lāke ("blood-sucking worm"; > modern Dutch laak).
It is commonly used to describe a person on social media that posts pictures of themself with more famous people in order to get likes and followers. The term became popular in 2018 as a way to criticize people who latch on to others like a leech in order to suck some of their "clout," or influence.
You have to be wise in your giving. Always examine your giving and make sure that you are giving to the right people and places. You are not the savior of the world, so don't attempt to help too many people because you will be denying yourself from the great things that you need to enjoy for yourself.
Cut them off completely
If your friendship has turned aggressive and emotionally abusive, then you should be cutting them off completely without any closure. You can straightaway block them and ignore them, as you don't owe them anything. Just do whatever works to remove yourself from that situation.
Completely drop them
To stop the friendship, delete or block them on social media, or anywhere else they might be able to contact you. If you go to school or uni with them, see if you can make sure you're not in any classes together. But remember, cutting off a friendship can have major consequences.
Some options include telling the person directly that you are ending the friendship. Or, you might allow the friendship to fade away by communicating less over time. If someone is violating your boundaries or if you feel unsafe, you might choose to discontinue all communication with them immediately.
“Gaslighting in a friendship or any other relationship is a process of making someone feel bad about themselves and guilty for being crazy. It frequently involves the abuser keeping control.
If your friend doesn't respect your feelings, it's an unhealthy relationship. Feeling anxious or negative in your friendship is a sign that it may be best to end it. Your friend is dishonest or holds back information. “Deep connections require trust,” Schmitt says.
gullible \GULL-uh-bul\ adjective. : easily duped or cheated.
Synonyms for freeloader that are even more informal include sponger and moocher, or its short form, mooch. (See the next section for more on the difference between freeloader and moocher.) Synonyms that are even more negative are leech and parasite.
A person will only leech off you if they believe they have something to gain. If you can't be used, you're useless, so consider yourself of some importance if someone goes out of their way to take advantage of you. Now let's move on to how to spot the leech in your crew.