Based on your experience, what is the best way to approach ending a friendship (not a relationship)?

Be honest and be prepared for lots of questions.

De-friend on Facebook!

Not calling, having other plans when invited somewhere.

Not calling, having other plans when invited somewhere.

I think that is a cowardly and one of the worst things that a person can do. The best way is to be honest, yes, it might hurt the person who is on the receiving end of the breakup, but better the person knows the direct truth and can walk away with dignity, than shamefully lying like a rat to save face.

There's no such a thing. A friendship is more than a marriage, for one can end a marriage and still be friends. If a friendship has to consciously broken, then it never was a true friendship. Perhaps one knew each other, from workplace, from sitting side by side in school, for sharing the same gym, but this is not friendship. That's easy to end. Now, a friendship can come to an end naturally if one or both friends have to move to a distant place, for instance, but then it's not the "best approch", because it's neither best nor an approach. That's life.

Not calling, having other plans when invited somewhere.

Sounds so Japanese...:)

It is best to end a friendship with the other person in person, face to face. This will make for the least amount of hurt and show that person that you respect them enough to do it in person. For those who find it too difficult to end the friendship, do so over the telephone or send a email or write a letter or breakup by silence. It's important to focus on the reason rather than the person. come to terms with your decision and be honest, clear, concise, humble, and just make sure there is no other way around ending the friendship. If you feel like ending a long-term friendship due to a simple misunderstanding, first see if there is any way to make up with the other person through apologies, promises to be a better friend etc. Sometimes, it is just something simple which can be fixed and doesn't have to result in the end of the friendship.

If I'm READING this correctly, this question is asking for a FRIENDSHIP, that is NOT a BOYFRIEND/GIRLFriend situation, in that case, any COWARDLY way (note statement above) that someone feels more "comfortable" with doing, may actually be "appropriate"...I'm ASSuming here, that the ONE-Side of the "FRIENDShip" has ALREADY DECIDED to do away with the OTHER person. In THAT case, "ANYthing Goes". " I'm just SAYin' " .

tell them you are going to kill their family

sorry.. have no personal "experience" to base on. i have never ended a friendship.

Simple way is to tell them to Phu_k off and stop being an annoyance , Or slag them off something rotten that they will never come near you again . I have had to do it, but there are some people who can not take No for an answer and you then have to punch the living lights out of them for the extreme aggro they are causing you.

Okay you can all have a go at me now

The easiest way to destroy a friendship to start lying or hiding the truth. Any relationship is based on trust and loyalty (positively or negatively, that is), so in the case of a friendship (a positive relationship) doing so would definitely sow the seeds of mistrust. But, I'm not really sure why anyone would want to end a true friendship, who's asking this question and why?