Friends or acquaintances?

[Dilbertian]

If you regularly meet people at a sociable hobby activity, enjoy each other's company, chat, know about family issues etc, have group outings to unrelated places, but never meet up one-to-one outside the context of that hobby, are you friends or acquaintances?

Acquaintances

I would say a hobby pal (special category of acquaintance which is imbued with more emotional warmth than your basic variety)
I had to think about this when my young daughter was thinking everyone we were remotely friendly with was A Friend, shop staff, the binmen, the lady down the road etc she was thinking we might invite her teacher over for her birthday. 🙈
I had to come up with a definition that would help it all make sense for her, that you can have many lovely people in your life but they won't all be your Friend. I came up with, 'a friend is someone you would make time to see even if you had no reason to do so just because you both like being in each others company', so if you only see someone because your paths cross for whatever reason then they're not an actual friend even if you are both lovely to each other... but it's a spectrum and there can be a very fine line between a top grade acquaintance/neighbour/colleague/hobby pal and an actual Friend... And someone can tip over into friends with little effort sometimes.

a friend is someone you would make time to see even if you had no reason to do so just because you both like being in each others company

Makes sense. Thanks.

Now I'm curious though... Why do you ask? 😊

Autism

Acquaintances definitely

Ah, yes, well it helps to have a definition, I find - if at all possible, for all those unwritten rules. A top quality not-quite-friend can be a relationship which enjoys many of the good bits of a friendship though without as much of the personal commitment part, so in some contexts it can even be preferable.
We get out social nourishment from many sources I think.

this thread is very helpful. Thank you .

☺️ it's what Mumsnet is for.

Acquaintances. Occasionally they become friends but not often.

When I was younger I used to confuse friendly acquaintances with friends, it's easy enough to do.

Thank you this is a great question.. I've often thought of school mums as friends & to them I'm just someone they know in passing from the school gates...

Well if this isn’t me 🙈