Generally speaking, dating describes a less serious level of commitment before either person is ready to describe the other as a girlfriend or boyfriend. This is not a firm rule because the terms have no strict definition.

Whats the difference between dating and boyfriend?

Dating means no serious attachment; a relationship is a boyfriend commitment. The level of the relationship you have with another person defines dating difference between casual dating and being in an actual, committed relationship. Dating can be intimately physical; a relationship the deeper subtle intimacy.