The Most Toxic Zodiac Pairings—aka the Sign You Should Never Date

Aries and Taurus make great friends, but when it comes to romantic relationships these two could not be worse for each other. On the one hand, we have notoriously type A Aries who cannot stand taking a backseat to anyone. On the other, we have stubborn Taurus, who can’t stand having their ideas challenged, especially if the other person might be right. When these two get together they form a particularly toxic combination of people who love to give advice but can’t receive it. To make matters worse, when it comes time for the relationship to end, Aries will fall back on old habits and try to ghost, while Taurus will dig their heels in and demand an explanation. This will lead to a back-and-forth of novel-length texts that lasts well into the next calendar year.

Taurus and Gemini are mismatched in almost every way, particularly in the arena of patience. While Taurus is known for being able to wait out almost any situation, Gemini needs constant change and stimulation to be excited. This can lead to one of those relationships where Gemini does everything in their power to get Taurus to break up with them, while Taurus waits out the relationship hoping they’ll get better. In the end, both signs just end up with a lot of wasted time.

Talk about an odd couple, and not in a cute 1970s sitcom way. When fun-loving and non-committal Geminis get into a relationship with reliable, to-do-list-making Capricorns, the result can only be disaster. Geminis thrive on spontaneity, whereas Capricorns despise it, meaning it is nearly impossible to plan a date that both these signs will enjoy. While Capricorns want to get to the restaurant ten minutes early (because that’s what it says on the reservation!), Geminis would rather skip dinner all together to walk around the park. The desires of one person making the other absolutely miserable? That’s the definition of toxic.

Free-spirits and homebodies generally don’t mix, but that measure is compounded when it comes to Cancer and Aquarius, who are programmed to butt heads at basically every level. Cancer hates being corrected, and Aquarius loves correcting. Cancer craves independence, whereas Aquarius prizes group activities and communal living. Cancer wants nothing more than to stay home watching Netflix, and Aquarius wants nothing more than for “home” to be a tent at Burning Man. Any relationship between the two is bound to explode in a torrent of accusations that one side is too rigid, or the other too loose. Best to avoid it if you can.

Is there a worse match for a Leo than a Scorpio? Probably not. While Scorpios like to spend their days focusing on life’s big questions, Leos want a partner who is going to focus on one thing and one thing only: them. Leos feel entitled and deserving of lots of attention and praise, while Scorpios are reluctant to dole out accolades unless they really, truly mean it. To make matters worse, Leos have no problem turning on the charm and seeking out praise and attention elsewhere, which will drive the notoriously jealous Scorpio mad. This pairing is one of the most toxic in the zodiac and has probably led to countless public screaming matches.

The toxicity of a Virgo-Pisces pair comes down to one central conflict: Virgo wants Pisces to pull their head out of the clouds, and Pisces wants Virgo to join them in the sky. While Virgo and Pisces are another pair that actually work great as friends, the opposites attract approach is less likely to work in a romantic relationship, where both are likely to just end up frustrated. What day-dreamer wants to be pulled out of their fantasy world just to talk about bills? What practical person wants to spend 20 minutes re-hashing their partner’s most recent dream about clowns? Best for these two to remain just friends.

This is one of those situations where each brings out the worst in the other. Critical Virgo can really get into Libra’s head, and Libra’s gossipy side has a tendency to make Virgo not trust them. The two are also big talkers but neither likes to pass the mic, meaning they’re likely to spend all of dinner talking over each other. Both have a tendency to make the other nervous, which can lead to toxic behavior as they try to restore balance or make sense of what is going on. 

Leo’s trademark arrogance will be too much for Scorpio, leading to almost constant clashes between the two. Given both signs’ explosive emotional flair, this is likely to be the couple that gets into fights in public and/or (probably both) bickers constantly while out with friends. Their toxicity can then affect their relationships with friends, who are less-than-thrilled at having to hear them fight over who messaged whom first on Tinder for the 15th time.

One of Pisces’s less savory traits is their ability to hold grudges for a super-long time, while Sagittarius is an extremely forgiving sign. Sags won’t understand why Pisces wants to rehash the fight from two nights ago, and Pisces will feel like Sags don’t value their feelings. This leads to lots of never-ending fights that bubble over at least once a month because they’re never truly resolved (aka the absolute worst types of fights).

Capricorn and Libra both enjoy sex and find sex to be important in their lives, but they are unlikely to have a sexual connection between themselves because the chemistry is just not there. These two are very likely to start out as friends who get into a relationship only to realize they have no X factor. Capricorn can also find Libra hard to talk to, leading to a relationship where boredom (and thereby toxic behavior) can reign supreme. 

Aquarius and Taurus could not be more different. Taurus will want Aquarius to do nothing more than stay home with them, leaving Aquarius feeling constrained and frustrated. Aquarius can be really distant, driving needy Taurus mad and making it highly likely somebody (probably Taurus) will walk away with their heart broken. And nobody likes being responsible for breaking somebody else’s heart.

Pisces hates being told what to do, and Aries loves nothing more than to play the leader. This could lead to a very explosive relationship as the two try to wrestle control from one another over even the smallest things. Basically, picking a restaurant will be impossible. Additionally, Aries’s tendency to sometimes put their foot in their mouth won’t match up well with notoriously unforgiving Pisces, who holds grudges forever.