When you recognize each other as only friends but don't see each other as girlfriend or boyfriend material. However unlike the term "friendzone" is in this case room for sexual attraction to the other.
S: Bruh, you look really hot right now, but don't get your hopes up you are still sub-friendzoned
D: Maybe we should become fuckbuddies then, nah just kidding gurl!
when your love interest friendzones you and in an effort to spark him/her interest, you pretend to friendzone him/her too by acting less interested or by talking about other girls/gals while actually still being in love with that person because you're unable to move on
Bob: "i've heard women are turned on by men who show no interested in them"
Chris: "yeah, I've heard about that too and tried to reverse friendzone my love interest Alice after she friendzoned me by pretending i wasn't interested but it didn't work"
When A Guy/Girl likes you but decides asking you out would be awkward if you said no and decided to just stay friends with you.
Sofia: So you like Karl?
Lily: Yeah I do, why?
Sofia: You should ask him out!
Lily: I don't think I will, were good friends and I want to stay friends instead of making things awkward.
Sofia: Oof I guess he got Reverse Friend Zoned.
When the girl takes the first move and the guy puts her in the friendzone.
The difference between the friendzone and the reverse friendzone is when the guy is in the friendzone it is just the friendzone, but when the girl is in the friendzone. It is the reverse friendzone because it is thought that more boys are put into the friendzone than girls, therefore it is called "the Reverse Friendzone" because it is not stereotypical.
Girls are usually put into this place when a guy is too shy to say yes or when he doesn't want a girlfriend.
Clara: So what happened with you and Jake??
Tiffany: Well, I told him how I felt and he said that he's not ready for a long-term relationship but he also said that we can still be friends.
Clara: Being in the Reverse Friendzone sucks, but unlike the Friendzone, sometimes boys can change their minds...
The party in question is often so far in they do not realize they are in the midst of the friend-zone status.
1) A guy gets sent a naked picture from a girl who asks him to "make sure she looks alright before she sends it to another guy". He assumes this to be a ruse, that she actually wants his dick. This assumption is false, he is in fact in the nick level friend-zone.
2) There are two guys and a girl drinking in town. Guy 1 thinks he will take the girl home at the end of the night and does not understand why Guy 2 is hanging around so late. This is made clear when it is Guy 2 who takes the girl home, Guy 1 is nick level friend-zoned.