What Does It Mean When He Says You’re A Keeper? (23 Possible Meanings)

Being a good person isn’t always appreciated because most people just want to take advantage of how nice you are. It is even worse if you’re always the good girl in relationships. If you’re unlucky to end up with an insensitive boyfriend, you will be constantly stuck with the feeling that you’re the one asking for too much.

As such, it can be refreshing to find a guy who recognizes and appreciates your valuable traits. If the guy isn’t your boyfriend, you can become tempted to cheat on your partner. While it would be bad to break your good girl code, no one will blame you for thinking of acting unfaithfully. However, going through with the thought would be disastrous for you.

What do you think and do when a stranger or friend calls you a keeper? Should you read the meaning into the comment or take it at face value? 

It can be easy to jump at the idea that a cool guy thinks you’re the real deal. Being starved of affection when you’ve been generously showing others love can cause you to make premature decisions.

Before you start planning romantic dates and picking wedding dates in your head, consider the meaning behind his words. 

This article will highlight 23 meanings to the words “you’re a keeper". Read to the end before you decide about the new guy in your life.

23 Things It Could Mean If He Says You’re A Keeper

1. It’s just a nice compliment

When a man is raised to be cultured, and respectful towards women, it will reflect in the way he treats girls. If you’re blessed to meet a man who respects women, he can call you a keeper. He won’t say it just to make you feel good, but because he means it.

If he doesn’t think you’re a keeper he can compliment you in any other way. If he sees your uniqueness, he won’t hesitate to describe you as someone worth keeping. So, don’t assume that every guy who calls you a keeper wants to date you. Some are faithful men who recognize keepers and choose to appreciate them. 

2. He thinks you have a rare personality

Men are drawn to women for different reasons. For you, it could be your confidence that draws men in. It could be your sweet personality which a man finds refreshing after dating saucy women for so long. Men want peace in their lives. So, when they find a woman who inspires that level of peace, they want her in their lives. 

It’s okay to admire his sweet compliment, but don’t build a dream life with him in your head before he asks you out. Don’t start acting obvious that you find his words intoxicating either. Maintain the grace he found attractive even while you’re hoping he will ask you out.

3. He thinks you’re precious

No matter how crass or crude a man is, he recognizes something or someone precious. Even if he has been dealt too many bad blows in his life, a man is easily horrified about destroying a precious girl. Therefore, if a self-proclaimed bad boy tells you that you’re a keeper, he considers you precious. 

He wouldn’t want to toy with your heart, so he’ll stay away from you. You might be thinking it’s a good sign he likes you while he is thinking it’s best if he stays away from you. Don’t spend too much time pining for him or act worried that he doesn’t like you. He will come around if he loves you.

4. He thinks any man will be lucky to have you

When a man tells a girl that she’s a keeper, he is saying “girl, you’re a priceless jewel". The same man who says that to you might not be the one to ‘keep’ you, but his words will encourage you not to settle for less.

You probably knew your worth and didn’t need anyone pointing it out to you. However, a good compliment is a good sign you’re doing the right thing. This comment will bolster your confidence that you can have the best relationship you desire. So, you’ll be cheating yourself if you settle for just any guy. 

5. He’s just being slick

Most men who are thoughtful enough to give honest undiluted comments are good people. They just want a girl to know that regardless of her past shitty relationships, she deserves better. Unfortunately, some men will also use the compliment “you’re a keeper” just to have their way with you.

If a guy wants to get in your pants, he can use these words because they’ve worked like a charm on other women. If he is a slick guy, his words will not match his actions. He will speak respectful words but act disrespectfully towards you. Take your time to know if he’s being sincere or trying to hoodwink you.

6. He feels comfortable around you

Men want to feel comfortable in their skin around the people they spend time with. This is why men have so many ‘boys' nights’ even when they have girlfriends. They can play games with their boys, exchange good-natured jokes and banter, and eat to their fill without the fear of offending anyone.

If you play games, share good jokes, or talk sports, a man will start feeling comfortable around you. When the feeling is replicated over and over again, he can pay you that high compliment even if dating is out of the equation. 

7. You have a trait he’s been looking for

When a guy says you should be someone’s keeper, it means he has discovered a rare trait in you. He has been looking for that trait in other girls but found them lacking. He was probably worried he would never find that missing link in his lifetime. 

However, you surprised him by showing up and disabusing the notion that someone like you doesn’t exist. It will be like a shock to his system. So, his comment will sound odd to you by the time he explains what he finds fascinating about you. Even if a relationship between both of you doesn’t work out, such a guy will treat you like the queen you are.

9. He means you’re more beautiful than any other girl

Sometimes you like to read a deeper meaning into a comment, but realize it’s merely a surface comment. There’s nothing bad about being very attractive. There’s also nothing wrong with a guy telling you how beautiful you are.

It might seem weird if he calls you a keeper because you’re prettier than any girl he’s ever known. The polite thing would be to say thank you even if you’re disappointed. Thinking about it from a different perspective, people go into relationships for different reasons. Physical attraction isn’t always enough but it can be a good beginning for a relationship. 

As such, don’t shut the man down before he’s proven that his interest in you goes beyond your pretty face. 

10. He means you’re a good person

Good people are keepers even though they are hardly seen or appreciated. One thing you’ll do right is to never change or do things in a different way because only a few people are interested in your brand of goodness. 

Therefore, when a good man has the knowledge of how good you are to people around you, he will tell you. It takes a depth of experience and knowledge to see and acknowledge a good person without expecting favor from them. If his action backs his comment, accept his compliment in good faith. 

11. He wants to date you

It is unusual to find a man who knows what he wants the moment he sees it. It is even more unusual for him to decide he’s in for the long haul, especially when he hardly knows the woman. A guy will call you a keeper because he’s seen what he wants. 

He doesn’t see any reason to waste time, so he comes out and speaks his mind. Even if you aren’t interested in him the same way he is, his words will warm your heart. It is best if you let him down gently. Let him know you deeply appreciate his sweet words and hope he finds the perfect girl for him.

Also, don’t be hasty to dismiss the idea of a relationship between both of you. In the beginning, one-sided attraction isn’t exactly a bad sign, but it can be weird. When you get to know him better, you can decide if a relationship with him will work out. Some happy long-lasting relationships started with mere friendship.

12. He has so much respect for you

If a man respects you and what you stand for, he can call you a keeper. If he has someone with similar qualities, he will be attracted to the familiarity. It doesn’t mean he wants to date or marry you, he could just be respecting how much he respects you. 

Take it as a positive sign that your life is worth emulating. Such a guy will always go out of his way to help you, get things for you, and basically show up whenever you need him. It is easy to want to take such a man for granted, but that will be a mistake on your part. Maintain the standards he liked in you from the beginning and you’ll have yourself a friend for life.

13. He says it to encourage you

If you bring happiness into a man’s life, he will want to give you happiness in return. Whether the guy is your romantic partner or not, he can call you a keeper to encourage you not to stop sharing your positive energy. Being someone who wants to share happiness with other people can be unusual in a trying world. 

As such, even family and friends will want you around them all the time. If you inspire happiness among your family, it shouldn’t be hard to do so with a man you like. So, if he says you’re a keeper, accept the comment with gratitude. You’ll discover that his comment wasn’t empty words. He will always want to spend time with you, even if it’s to just talk and encourage you.

14. He wishes to spend more time with you

A keeper is someone people want to be with for the rest of their lives. It might take a while for them to realize the feeling this time is different. It might take a longer time for a man to accept that other relationships cannot meet up with the standards you’ve set. The bar is high and he cannot help but meet it. 

To such a guy, it doesn’t matter whether you’re still at the friendship stage or you’re ready for more, he just wants to spend time with you. If you bring calmness to his normally troubled mind, he will call you a keeper. Even if you feel a different way, you’ll sense his sincerity and strengthen the friendship. 

15. He sees a potentially good homemaker

When someone’s a keeper, and the other person recognizes it, it is a sign that both parties are ready for the next step in the relationship. For a man to want to spend the rest of his life with a girl, he has seen the qualities he thinks he can live with forever. If he sees you as this future wife, and mother of his kids, he can call you a keeper. 

For that man, merely talking about his feelings will be inadequate. So, he will back it up with actions. That is, he will most likely propose not long after calling you a keeper. 

16. He is sad he cannot have you

When a man calls you a keeper in a melancholic tone, he is either married or in a relationship where he’s unhappy. He desperately wishes he was single so he can date you. If he is a good man, he will either break up with his girlfriend or walk away from you to fix his relationship, especially if he is married.

If after trying his best, the relationship doesn’t work, he will break things off with his partner before approaching you again. A guy who calls you a keeper only to cheat on his partner with you isn’t a keeper himself. You deserve a keeper, not a pity partner.

17. He means that you’re worth waiting for

He can say this if he has been chasing after you for a long time, but you won’t agree to dating him. If he is a patient guy, he will stay in touch with you even as you’re going and coming out of different relationships.

If you’re someone’s keeper, he wouldn’t care how long it takes before you notice him. The wait will be painful, but he knows you’re worth it. So, yes, I will wait. If you’re a good woman, you’ll pull him out of the waiting mode by either accepting him or letting him know you can never be with him.

18. He is interested in more than sex

If his interest in you is more than sex, a guy can call you a keeper. If you’ve been with him for a while, yet he doesn’t stop adoring you, he is also worth keeping. The end of the honeymoon phase is usually the beginning of troubles in relationships. This is when your perspective of your partner changes.

If your man doesn’t seem less interested in spending time with you or being romantic towards you after this phase, he truly means the things he says to you. So, when he says you’re a keeper, he means it with his whole heart.

19. Both of you share similar interests

If your qualities match, and a man thinks both of you are compatible, he can say you’re a keeper. This might sound cold and calculating, but good. Except there is no chemistry between both of you, there’s nothing wrong with accepting this honest compliment. 

Even if you don’t see a future where both of you are romantic partners, you might develop an affinity for the guy. Business partnerships are sometimes based on compatibility too. So, never say never yet.

20. It means he values your aspirations

Some men are drawn to ambitious women who exude unshaken confidence. While some men are threatened by the idea of their partner rising through the ranks before them. Meeting a man who is inspired rather than repelled by your ambitions is a good feeling.

It doesn’t mean both of your stars are aligned and ready to shine together, but you can never tell. Take it slow, especially if the guy is an ambitious career man too. Consider the pros and cons of being in a relationship with such a person forever. Will it affect the ideal family picture you’ve painted for yourself? Marrying someone because they admire your aspirations isn’t enough.

21. He thinks you’re everything he needs

When a man has dreamt of you all his life, the moment he sees you, he will recognize that you’re it for him. He wouldn’t see any benefit in stalling or mincing his words. He will speak exactly as he’s feeling. If you are the kind of woman he has prayed and hoped for, he will let you know.

Men can play around all they want, but when they find the woman they want to marry, they know. They will chase her as though they will be doomed if they lose her. If your man acts like he cannot go a day without seeing or talking to you, he thinks you’re a keeper. 

22. He wants to take your relationship to the next level

If you’ve been dating him for a while and he has made up his mind to build a home with you, he can call you a keeper. You will see the signs that there is a shift in the relationship. It wouldn’t be difficult to believe what he says if you’ve been feeling the same way.

The next step for both of you could be him finally making a verbal commitment to be faithful and exclusive with you. The next step could also be that both of you will get engaged. 

23. You forgave him after he messed up

If you forgive your man after he has messed up so badly, he will call you a keeper. He realizes he couldn’t have forgiven you if the tables were turned. As such, he marvels at the kind of woman you are.

While this doesn’t mean you’ve completely forgotten what he did or that he wouldn’t do it again, it reveals your good heart. Even if he’s going to mess up again, he will break up with you first.

FAQs

In Conclusion

It is easy to get swept up in the charming words, “you’re a keeper”. However, survey the intentions behind the words, so you don’t get burnt by ignorance or misinterpretation. 

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