Used to denote one’s romantic attractions, particularly when one’s romantic attraction differs to their sexual attraction.

For example, asexual individuals may describe themselves as being asexual (that is, with little or no sexual attraction to others), but heteroromantic, biromantic or homoromantic (having a romantic, rather than sexual attraction); or indeed, may describe themselves as being aromantic (little to no romantic attraction).

Not exclusive to asexual individuals either, though: somebody may be bisexual but exclusively heteroromantic or homoromantic; that is, although sexually attracted to more than one gender, but only romantically attracted to one; or, further; one may be bisexual, but aromantic.

A prefix that denotes “without”; often used in regards to romantic, sexual and gender identities: e.g. aromantic, asexual and agender.

abbreviation for the asexual spectrum.

A term for those on the asexual spectrum, and the asexual spectrum itself.

a slang term for someone who is asexual, but alloromantic (not aromantic)

a slang term for someone who is both asexual and aromantic.

an individual on the asexual spectrum, who finds their sexuality fluctuates between being asexual and allosexual.

The romantic equivalent is aroflux.

The range of negative attitudes, intolerance and resentment of asexual individuals and/or individuals on the asexual spectrum. This results in the erasure and invisibility of asexuals (asexual erasure).

Acephobia is unfortunately not restricted to the heterosexual community, as asexuals have, and continue to face, opposition from members of the Queer community; particularly, but not restricted to, asexual people who are not homoromantic or biromantic.

an individual who possesses acephobia; an adjective describing attitudes and behaviours that are hostile or negative towards asexual people and/or those on the asexual spectrum.

an asexual spectrum identity, in which individuals experience arousal at the thought of sexual behaviours, but experience no or little sexual attraction towards other people, or someone who experiences sexual attraction, but does not want to participate in sex; for example, an individual may masturbate, watch pornography or watch other sexual content, but still not desire to engage in sexual behaviours with other people.

This may manifest in a myriad of ways, for example, an aegosexual individual may fantasise about watching other individuals engage in sex, and not about in engaging in it themselves.

Aegosexuality was previously known as autochorisexual, a term coined by Dr. Anthony Bogaert, a psychologist that specialised in human sexuality; however, it was considered a kind of psychological disorder (along with asexuality in general). Whilst some within that identity attempted to reclaim the term, others felt uncomfortable with the negative connotations, and aegosexual was coined by a Tumblr user named Sugar-and-Spite.

a less prominent alternative term to lithromantic (a form of romantic attraction on the aromantic spectrum in which individuals experience romantic attraction but do not want it to be reciprocated).

alternate term for lithosexual, although not as common (a form of sexual attraction on the asexual spectrum in which individuals experience sexual attraction but do not want it to be reciprocated).

In Queer contexts, alignment generally refers to whether two or more parts of an identity are in cohesion or not; whether they ‘match’ or are ‘different’.

In gender identity, one such example is the alignment of birth sex and gender. Typically, a transgender individual is transgender because their birth sex and perceived gender do not align; for example, a Trans man may be assigned female at birth, but identify as a woman – therefore, their assigned sex at birth and gender identity do not align. They may therefore take steps to align their sex and gender, by undergoing gender reassignment surgery, hormone therapy, and/or going through the various steps needed to officially recognise their gender.

A cisgender person generally has their sex and gender aligned; their sex assigned at birth and gender identity are the same.

In sexual identity, this may refer to the alignment between one’s sexual attractions and one’s romantic attractions. This is particularly pertinent with people on the asexual spectrum: their sexual identity (asexual) may not be aligned with their romantic identity (for example, homoromantic). Similarly, an aromantic person may be homosexual (e.g. homosexual-aromantic). An asexual with their sexual and romantic identities aligned may be aromantic as well.

In allosexual people, an example would be somebody who is bisexual but homoromantic. That is, somebody who is sexually attracted to their own and other genders, but only romantically attracted to their own.

In gender identities, being aligned may also refer to experiences nonbinary individuals have: for example, a nonbinary individual may describe themselves as male-aligned, because of the experiences they have with being male.

the assumption that an individual is allosexual – that is, that a person is not asexual.

an individual who is not aromantic; that is, an individual who experiences a romantic attraction to other people.

a term that refers to those who are not asexual. Simply, those who regularly experience a sexual attraction; those who are not on the asexual spectrum.

an abbreviation of aromantic.

an individual who is asexual, aromantic – (aro–ace).

an identity on the aromantic spectrum, in which an individual fluctuates between being aromantic and alloromantic.

an individual who experiences little or no romantic attraction (but may experience sexual attraction – e.g. aromantic/bisexual); as such aromantic people may not necessarily be asexual.

Aromantic is also an umbrella term for the wide array of identities that fall under the aromantic umbrella: such as demiromantic, lithromantic, frayromantic, greyromantic and others.

Aromanticism and aromantic identities are typically included in the asexual spectrum.

the wide array of aromantic identities that can be loosely defined as being either aromantic, or somewhere between being aromantic and alloromantic; for example, greyromantic, lithromantic, demiromantic, frayromantic, aroflux.

the wide variety of identities that can be loosely grouped as being aromantic to some degree, and therefore on the aromantic spectrum.

the wide range of negative attitudes, opposition to, and/or resentment of aromantic individuals and aromanticism. This may manifest itself in many ways, such as disregarding aromantic identity and experiences, exclusion from Queer spaces, and/or viewing aromanticism as a disorder that needs to be cured.

An umbrella term for a variation in romantic/sexual attractions on the asexual spectrum, but typically, an individual that experiences little or no sexual attraction to others, or those with a lack or little romantic attraction in others.

Those who are asexual may also have further labels to describe their romantic attractions (e.g. asexual, biromantic – someone having a romantic attraction to multiple genders, but no sexual attraction to them); demisexual, fraysexual, lithosexual, etc. Asexuals may not necessarily be aromantic.

the acts and attitudes of ignoring, removing or falsifying asexual and aromantic people and identity. In its most extreme form, this could be the belief that asexuality doesn’t exist, or is the result of people on the asexual spectrum being ‘broken’ or the result of a mental/sexual dysfunction, rather than as a legitimate, sexual orientation.

Erasure of asexual people is often the result of acephobia, even though it does not always involve overt antagonism; asexual erasure and invisibility inevitably has a detrimental effect on asexual people’s individual health and well-being.

the wide variety of identities that can be loosely defined as being either asexual or aromantic; the spectrum in which these identities are placed upon in relation to one another.

the umbrella of asexual related identities – that is, the identities found on the asexual spectrum – including the array of aromantic identities.

an individual who is aroused by sexual material, thoughts and fantasies, but has no desire or ambition to seek sexual relations with other people; for example, an individual who may masturbate and watch pornography, but does not have any desire to engage in sexual behaviours with other people.

a term now most commonly known as aegosexual, in which individuals experience a disconnect between the thought of sexual behaviours, and engaging in sexual behaviours. For example, an individual who may experience arousal at the thought of sex, but without the desire to actually engage in it.

a person who experiences romantic, but not necessarily sexual, attractions to multiple or all genders. A biromantic person may not necessarily be bisexual.

an individual who experiences no or little romantic attraction until a strong attachment of some sort is formed, such as an emotional attachment (or perhaps sexual connection) is formed. May be compounded to form gender orientations, e.g. demi-homoromantic.

an individual who experiences no or little sexual attraction until they have formed an emotional, romantic connection towards someone. It must be noted that demisexuals are not abstaining or choosing to be celibate until forming a romantic connection – they experience little or no sexual attraction whatsoever until a romantic bond is formed.

Related: demiromantic

an identity on the aromantic spectrum, in which the romantic attraction fades once the individual develops a deep connection. As such, it can be seen as a comparable ‘opposite’ to demiromantic.

an identity on the asexual spectrum, in which attraction fades once the individual develops a deep connection. As such, it can be seen as a comparable ‘opposite’ to demisexual.

short for grey-asexual, otherwise known as greysexual.

alternative to greysexual.

An umbrella term for the various identities on the asexual spectrum that fall between being asexual and being allosexual – that is, “grey” because their sexuality isn’t “black” or “white”.

Such individuals may identify as being greysexual, and/or demisexual.

an individual who experiences aromanticism – that is, little or no romantic attraction to others, but not to the extent of being completely aromantic: they may experience, in some degree or at fluctuating times, a romantic attraction to others, or a romantic attraction under certain circumstances.

This can manifest in a variety of different ways, from experiencing a very weak romantic attraction, experiencing romantic attraction very infrequently, experiencing romantic attraction but not wanting a romantic relationship, or experiencing a form of romantic attraction which is not aligned with the expectations of society and other alloromantic people.

As such, greyromantic is the romantic equivalent of greysexual.

an individual whose sexuality is somewhere on the asexual spectrum between asexual and allosexual; that is, that their asexuality isn’t “black or white”.

As such, grey-asexuality and greysexuals encompasses a wide variety of experiences and therefore definitions.

Demisexual is an example of a greysexual identity, although demisexual is more specific in that it is a lack of sexual attraction except when there is a strong emotional and romantic bond formed; this may not be the case with other greysexual people, whose capacity and potential for sexual attraction may be dependent on something else or different to the demisexual definition.

Can be used in combination with other identities, for example, homoromantic/greysexual.

There is a -romantic equivalent, greyromantic.

An individual who is exclusively or predominantly attracted to members of the opposite sex or gender; but may not be heterosexual.

For example, an asexual person who is heteroromantic.

An individual who is exclusively, or predominantly, romantically attracted to people of the same sex or gender.

People who are homoromantic may not be homosexual; for example, a bisexual/homoromantic person may be sexually attracted to more than one gender, but only romantically attracted to members of the same gender.

The term is particularly useful to describe asexual people who may be asexual/homoromantic.

having a low sex drive; an autonym to hypersexual.

a woman is who is solely or primarily romantically attracted to other women; a woman who is homoromantic, but not necessarily a homosexual – a woman who is romantically attracted to other women without necessarily being sexually attracted to them, or exclusively sexually attracted to them.

For example, a woman who is asexual/lesbiromantic; or a woman who is bisexual/lesbiromantic.

a form of sexual attraction on the asexual spectrum in which individuals experience sexual attraction but do not want it to be reciprocated. Lithosexual individuals may feel uncomfortable at the thought of someone being attracted to them and/or feel a decrease in sexual attraction towards somebody when it is reciprocated.

Also known as akoisexual, although that term is nowhere near as prominent.

a form of romantic attraction on the aromantic spectrum in which individuals experience romantic attraction but do not want it to be reciprocated. Lithromantic individuals may feel uncomfortable at the thought of someone being attracted to them and/or feel a decrease in romantic attraction towards somebody when it is reciprocated.

Also known as akoiromantic, although that term is nowhere near as prominent.

a person who experiences romantic, but not necessarily sexual, attractions to all genders. An omniromantic person may not necessarily be omnisexual.

a person who experiences romantic, but not necessarily sexual, attractions to all genders. A panromantic person may not necessarily by pansexual.

a person who experiences romantic, but not necessarily sexual, attractions to multiple, but not all genders. A panromantic person may not necessarily be polysexual.

an identity on the aromantic spectrum, in which an individual does not experience a romantic attraction to someone else until they’re aware that someone is romantically attracted to them. Reciproromantic individuals may – or may not – be reciprosexual.

an identity under the asexual umbrella, in which an individual does not experience attraction until they’re aware somebody is attracted to them first. Reciprosexual individuals may, or may not, also be reciproromantic.