Is there a good alternative to "office-mate"?

October 27, 2005 9:45 PM

I irrationally hate the term "officemate". Is there any good alternative? We share offices at work, so I do need a word for this. I've tried "roommate", but people assume you're talking about living arrangements.
posted by smackfu to Writing & Language (28 answers total)

Co-worker?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:47 PM on October 27, 2005

Colleague?
posted by cribcage at 9:47 PM on October 27, 2005

Associate.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:50 PM on October 27, 2005

counterpart. Then you can totally rock the C-3PO/R2D2 thing...
posted by hototogisu at 9:54 PM on October 27, 2005

Response by poster: To clarify, I only have one "officemate". Everyone else is a "coworker". So they're distinct concepts, at least in our office.
posted by smackfu at 9:56 PM on October 27, 2005

Your familiar?

This may work better if you are a sorcerer, and your officemate is a cat or a hawk or something.
posted by padraigin at 10:01 PM on October 27, 2005

"Guy I share an office with" - then say his name, then use that for the rest of the conversation. Amend as necessary according to gender.
posted by nowonmai at 10:05 PM on October 27, 2005

Whoa, there I go reading from the top not the bottom; what is you using this phrasing a few posts down?
posted by nowonmai at 10:08 PM on October 27, 2005

What nowonmai said. Mine is known as "Miss FiFi".
posted by AmbroseChapel at 10:09 PM on October 27, 2005

officebuddy!
posted by TwelveTwo at 10:11 PM on October 27, 2005

Best answer: I'd just use coworker when talking to people outside the office. You can mention that you share an office if it's relevant. People within your office ought to know that "Dave" refers to the guy that you share an office with unless there are multiple "Daves."

Sorry that's not more helpful but I don't fully understand how the distinction is necessary.
posted by 6550 at 10:12 PM on October 27, 2005

Workspace Cohabitant?
Office Co-occupant?
Pet Rock?
posted by Jon-o at 10:16 PM on October 27, 2005

Think about how most desk workers today are office sharers or cubicle dwellers, and just say "Guy who sits by me" without going into details. People will simply assume desk/cubicle/office nearby and not give it a second thought.
posted by SpookyFish at 10:17 PM on October 27, 2005

Comrade!
posted by Jairus at 10:32 PM on October 27, 2005

If you share projects, you can use "workmate".
posted by qwip at 10:48 PM on October 27, 2005

Homey. Compadre. Work neighbor. Fellow cube farmer. Protege. Assistant. Colleague who uses the same room as I do for an office, but who isn't the only person with an office in the space leased by the company through which I am employed.

Sufferling.
posted by WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot at 11:13 PM on October 27, 2005

I believe the proper term is co-cube, or you may use a flashcard imprinted with (co)³.
posted by rob511 at 11:21 PM on October 27, 2005

Cow-orker.

Though I like Sufferling.
posted by krisjohn at 12:05 AM on October 28, 2005

Cellmate?
posted by nevercalm at 12:05 AM on October 28, 2005

Depending on the context, I used to refer to my officemate as "the person I share my office with, Bob" or "the loud productivity killing ass I share my office with, Bob". We would refer to each other as roomies.

[names have been changed to protect the innocent].
posted by birdherder at 3:01 AM on October 28, 2005

Cubiclee - I just made it up but if there's no word for it you might as well make one up.
posted by edd at 3:26 AM on October 28, 2005

office ally, office auxiliary, office cohort, office peer, fellow officeperson, office partner, office coequal, office sidekick, office counterpart, office workfolk...
posted by vanoakenfold at 6:18 AM on October 28, 2005

I second everything 6550 said.
posted by raedyn at 7:13 AM on October 28, 2005

I've used "neighbor."

Although that has the same problem as "roommate."

Maybe with some added explanation, as in "neighbor at work," "office neighbor," etc.?
posted by donpedro at 10:03 AM on October 28, 2005

Cubemate. Cue-buddy. Office Brother/Sister. Co-office user. Officer. Office Lord.
posted by lorrer at 10:52 AM on October 28, 2005

Cubiclée has a certain je ne sais quoi, but it needs the accent, so people won't question you for fear of appearing ignorant.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:01 AM on October 28, 2005

I don't like the name of my truck. I call it a tack-o-ma.

Why not just change the pronunciation of officemate to oh-fee-chè-mà-té.

You want to overcome irrationality here? Good luck.
posted by Dick Paris at 11:38 AM on October 28, 2005

I've heard "cube neighbor" and "next-cube neighbor" for this.
posted by dhartung at 10:26 PM on October 28, 2005