Sence we’re getting so many asks about the names for various orientations I thought I would post an updated version of our aspec orientation dictionary. This dictionary also exists here on our blog and is frequently updated, but something screwy is going on with the bolding on that page right now so it might be hard to read. There’s also a copy of it here in the Quicksand font because I find that that’s easier for folks with dyslexia and other LD’s to read then Arial is.
Note: this is not a complete list. A-spec terminology is constantly growing and changing and it’s hard to keep track of every single term, so if I missed an orientation please let me know, I’ll be happy to add it!
-mod Yarrow
Abrosexual/Abroromantic: Having an orientation or feelings about it that constantly change and cannot be pinned down for this reason.
Aceflux/ Aroflux: When someone’s sexual/ romantic orientation fluctuates but always stays on the aro/ace spectrum.
Acespike/ Arospike: When someone usually doesn’t feel sexual/romantic attraction but occasionally rapidly skyrockets into intense attraction, then plummeting down to asexuality/aromanticism again.
Acoromantic/Acosexual: Asexual/Aromantic(spec) because of negative past experiences. (similar to Caedromantic/Caedsexual)
Adfecturomantic/Affecturomantic/Adfectual/Adfomantic: Is someone whose romantic attraction is affected by their neurodivergency.
Aegosexual/Aegoromantic: Feeling attraction and desire only for situations that do not involve one’s self.
Aliquasexual/ Aliquaromantic: Not normally feeling attraction, but feeling it on occasion under specific circumstances.
Amicussexual/Amicusromantic: When you are only attracted to people you’re also platonically attracted to.
Antisexual/Antiromantic: Would rather not develop platonic/romantic/sexual feelings for people, but does anyway.
Apressexual/ Apresromantic: Only feeling attraction after another form of attraction is felt.
Aromantic/ Asexual: When someone doesn’t feel sexual/ romantic attraction to anyone
Arovague/ Acevague: Aromanticism or asexuality that is heavily influenced by neurodiversity (also known as Adfecturomantic / Adfectusexual)
Apresromantic/ Apresexual: An orientation where romantic/sexual attraction is felt only after another type of attraction is formed.
Apothisexual/ Apothiromatic: A specific term for when someone on the asexual/ aromantic spectrum is sex repulsed or romance repulsed. (Also known as ARCsexual/ ARCromantic)
Autochrissexual/ Autochrisromantic: When someone feels sexual arousal/ romantic attraction for something, but from a distance, as if they were someone else, and have no desire to do that thing themselves (Also known as Aegosexual/ Aegoromantic or Autochorrisromantic / Autochorrissexual).
Bellusromantic: When someone is fine with cute fluffy stuff with anyone but doesn’t want a relationship at all.
Burstsexual/ Burstromantic: An orientation where a type of attraction will occur in a sudden burst, then vanish or fade away.
Borearomantic/ Boreasexual: an orientation that seems to revolve around one person in particular. (can also be defined as an exception to one’s orientation, ie, someone who identifies as homosexual/homoromantic feeling attraction to someone of a different gender)
Caedromantic/ Caedsexual: The feeling that romantic or sexual attraction was taken away due to past trauma -for PTSD and trauma survivors
Cassexual/ Cassromantic: Feeling utterly indifferent to attraction, believing it isn’t important.
Ceasesexual/ Ceaseromantic: Usually being allosexual/romantic, but occasionally having a complete loss of attraction for a period of time before feeling it again.
Cupiosexual/ Cupioromantic: When someone does not experience sexual/ romantic attraction, but still desires a sexual/ romantic relationship. (Also known as kalossexual/ kalosromantic and Icularomantic/ Icularsexual)
Demisexual/ Demiromantic: When someone is only sexually/ romantically attracted to people they already have a strong emotional connection with.
Dreadsexual/ Dreadromantic: An orientation that fluctuates from feeling no attraction to feeling attraction. When attraction is felt, it is accompanied by a strong feeling of dread or anxiety.
Duosexual/ Duoromantic: Having two or more well-defined orientations that you switch between (e.g. cupiosexual and fraysexual).
Durasexual/Duraromantic: Rarely experiencing attraction, but when it happens it lasts for a long time.
Fictosexual/ Fictoromantic: When someone only feels sexually/romantically attracted to fictional characters.
Freysexual/ Freyromantic: When Someone is sexually/ romantically attracted to those they are less familiar with but after a while, the “excitement” of meeting the new person dies down and you are perfectly content on just being friends.
Greysexual/ Greyromantic: When someone only feels sexual/ romantic attraction rarely. This term can also be a general term for identifying as somewhere on the aro/ace spectrum.
Lamvanosexual/ Iamvanoromantic: Feeling uncomfortable doing sexual/romantic things to someone, but being willing to receive sexual and romantic acts.
Lithsexual/Lithromantic : When someone feels sexual/ romantic attraction towards others and also enjoys romantic/ sexual relationships in theory, but does not need that affection to be reciprocated. An Akoinsexual/ Akoinromantic person may also experience sexual attraction until those feelings are reciprocated. (Also known as Akoinsexual/ Akoinromantic)
Idemromantic: When someone Categorizes relationships and feelings as platonic or romantic but experiences no notable internal differences
Inactoromantic: When someone experiences romantic attraction and wants a romantic relationship but doesn’t like romantic actions. (Also known as initiaromantic.)
Limnosexual/ Limnoromantic: Attraction only piqued by depictions of acts of attraction (eg drawings or writing), not the acts themselves in real life (similar to fictosexual/ fictoromantic).
Malasexual/Malaromantic: When someone only experiences attraction during maladaptive daydreams
Metaromantic: Only experiencing attraction that is unable to be defined by strict terms of platonic or romantic.
Nebula-romantic/ Nebula-sexual: Difficulty distinguishing romantic/sexual and platonic attraction due to neurodiversity
Novisexual/Noviromantic: Feeling complicated attraction or lack thereof in such a way that it is difficult or impossible to fit into one word or term.
Omniaromantic: Is someone who feels no romantic attraction whatsoever. In no way, shape, or form do they fall in love or feel any attraction to anyone. They are asensual, have no aesthetic attraction to others, and no squishes. They can experience platonic love or familial love, though not all do so. This term was made to make a distinction between being on the aromantic spectrum and specify from the common definition of aromantic person, since saying someone is “aromantic” could mean they could be demiromantic, gray-aromantic, and such other types of aromantics who do feel sensual, have aesthetic attraction and such.
Placiosexual/ Placioromantic: When someone feels little to no desire to receive sexual/romantic acts but expresses interest/desire in performing them on someone else.
Platonisexual/ Platoniromantic: When someone feels no difference between platonic and romantic attraction.
Polarsexual/ Polarromantic: Switching between being either extremely attracted and not at all attracted.
Post rubor: Is someone who quickly gets crushes/squishes/etc on others, but after the initial excitement of said crush/etc vanishes so do their feelings.
Presexual/ Preromantic: A placeholder term for when someone feels that they have not experienced attraction enough to know their orientation yet.
Propeestsexual/ Propeestromantic: An aro/ace spec identity which feels like a mix of many (any more than two a-spec identities) that all are a part of your identity
Quoisexual/ Quoiromantic: Is when someone experiences sexual attraction in a way that is not typical of allosexuals individuals, but doesn’t knowing where they fit on the asexual spectrum; or not identifying with any of the existing labels./ Feeling as if the concept of romance or sexual attraction, etc. is inapplicable or nonsensical to one’s self.(Also known as wtfsexual)
Recipsexual/ Recipromantic: When someone feels sexual/ romantic attraction only after realizing someone is sexually/ romantically attracted to them.
Requeissexual/Requeromantic: When someone feels limited or no sexual/romantic attraction/interest/activity due to some form of emotional exhaustion or trauma.
Schromantic: Is someone who is aromantic and romantic at the same time, or some mix of the two. Frequently described in terms of Schrödinger’s cat as having the possibility of being romantic and aromantic at the same time
Singulusexual/ Singuluromantic: Only experiencing one type of attraction towards people (i.e. if you experience sexual attraction towards a person, you won’t feel romantic/alterous/platonic attraction towards them).
Thymsexual/ Thymromantic: Feeling attraction which varies depending on emotional state.
