Glossary.
This is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list, and will be added to and updated as vocabulary changes
Consensual Non-Monogomy
Consensual/Ethical non-monogamy — A relationship that has agreed that sex is not a fidelity boundary in the relationship
Closed Poly Relationship/Polyfidelitous — A polycule that has closed boundaries and is not looking for new people to include
Polyamory — Multiple, consensual committed intimate relationships
Hierarchical Poly — Multiple consensual committed intimate relationships with a structured power dynamic
Solo Polyamory — No primary, just multiple relationships
Open Relationship — Broad term for people who are not monogamous, also used for people who have sex with others, but are only committed to their primary partner
Swingers — Couples who trade partners, or have group sex with their partner, primarily for sex, less emotional attachment
Relationship Anarchy — People who do not prioritize their sexual or intimate relationships over platonic ones or friendships; often don’t have a primary relationship of any kind
DADT — Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. a relationship style where the couple does not share their experiences with others with their partner
Kitchen Table Polyamory — Where all involved parties communicate and connect on some level
Tryad/Triad/Thrupple — A couple of three who are all together
V or Vee — Where two people share a third person, but are not together with each other
Compersion — Feeling joy in a partners joy with their partner (often considered as the opposite of jealousy)
New Relationship Energy (NRE) — The fun honeymoon, puppylove time at the beginning of a relationship
Polycule — The whole slew of relationships involved with your poly family (e.g. me, my partner, my partner’s partner, and my partner’s partner’s partner)
Monogramish — Slang term meaning not really monogamous
Poly-adjacent — A monogamous, or mostly monogamous person who is open to partners being poly
Meta — The partner of your partner that you are not involved with
Nesting Partner — A partner that you live with and do the home life stuff with
Anchor Partner — The partner that your life decisions involve or include
Unicorn — A bisexual woman who prefers to have relationships with both parts of a heterosexual couple on terms set primarily by that couple’s agreements
Unicorn Hunters — Couples who seek a bisexual woman who prefers to have relationships with both parts of a heterosexual couple on terms set primarily by that couple’s agreements for a relationship. This term is often used derisively
Queer
Queer — a broad term for anyone who is not straight, or who is not cisgender
Gender identity — who you see your self as in regards to innate characteristics, roles, and behaviors in regards to gender
Sexual orientation/identity — who you are sexually attracted to
Romantic orientation/identity — who you are romantically attracted to
Sex — A person's biological and physiological characteristics such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, primarily associated with male and female
Gender — A person's characteristics, roles, behaviors or identities
Intersex — A person who was born with both male and female biological and physiological characteristics
AFAB — Assigned female at birth, referring to what a medical professional would have announced as their sex, and sometimes their gender, when they were born
AMAB — Assigned female at birth, referring to what a medical professional would have announced as their sex, and sometimes their gender when they were born
Fem (or Femme) presenting — a person who appears to be expressing their gender identity through style, wardrobe and mannerisms as feminine. May or may not reflect their sex or gender
Masc presenting — a person who appears to be expressing their gender identity through style, wardrobe and mannerisms as masculine. May or may not reflect their sex or gender
Transgender — A person who does not identify with their assigned at birth sex or associated gender
Transwoman — A person who was AMAB, and now identifies as a woman
Transman — A person who was AFAB, and now identifies as a man
Cisgender — A person who identifies their gender as being the same as their assigned at birth sex or associated gender
Demigirl — A person who identifies as low-key female-ish
Demiboy — A person who identifies as low-key male-ish
Genderqueer — A person who identifies as not their assigned birth sex or gender, and is not specifically disclosing a different sex or gender
Agender — a person who does not identify with any gender
Straight/Heterosexual — A person who is only attracted to the opposite sex
Gay/homosexual — A person who is only attracted to the same sex
Lesbian — A femme presenting person (often identifying as a woman) who is only attracted to women
Bisexual — A person who is sexually attracted to more than one gender
Pansexual — A person who is sexually attracted to any or all genders, or experiences attraction regardless of gender
Heteroflexible — A person who is primarily attracted to the opposite sex, but may be curious or occasionally be attracted to the same sex.
Homoflexible — A person who is primarily attracted to the same sex, but may be curious or occasionally be attracted to the opposite sex
Asexual — A person who experiences minimal or no sexual attraction
Gray asexual (graysexual) — A person who experiences low or minimal sexual attraction
Queersexual — A person who does not identify as straight, and is not specifically disclosing another sexual orientation or identity
Sapiosexual — A person who experiences sexual attraction based on intelligence, wit, or other intellectual traits, rather than sex or gender
Non-Binary (Enby) — A person who does not identify as male or female
Allosexual or Zedsexual — A person who identifies as having sexual attraction
Demisexual -— A person who experiences sexual attraction only after developing a close emotional connection
Gynosexual — a person who is sexually attracted to women or vulvas or femme presenting people
Androsexual — a person who is sexually attracted to men or penises or masc presenting people
Homoromantic — A person who is romantically attracted to the same sex
Heteroromatic — A person who is romantically attracted to a different sex
Biromantic — a person who is romantically attracted to more than one sex or gender
Panromantic — A person who is romantically attracted to any or all sexes or genders, or who is romantically attracted to certain people regardless of their sex or gender
Demiromantic — A person who experiences romantic attraction only after developing a close emotional connection
Aromantic — a person who experiences minimal or no romantic attraction
Kink
Kink — non-conventional sexual or sensual or erotic activities and behaviors
Vanilla — sexually conventional behaviors or people
Normies — another word for vanilla people, essentially: non-kinky folks
Munch — a vanilla, often public, get-together of kinky people to hang out and connect
Scene — a consensually negotiated kink encounter
Dynamic — the kind of relationship partners engage with each other through
Top — A person who does the action
Bottom — A person who receives the action
Switch — A person who tops and bottoms
Dominant (dom) — A person who wields consensually given power
Submissive (sub) — A person who relinquishes consensually taken power
Daddy Dom or Soft Dom — a kind of dom where the person is specifially kind, nurturing, or supportive of their sub
Little — a kind of sub where the person is specifically innocent, child-like, or in need of guidance
Brat —a kind of sub where the person is smart-mouthed, insolent, misbehaved, or sassy to their top/dom.
Sadist — A person who finds pleasure in inflicting consensually agreed-upon pain or intense sensation
Masochist — A person who finds pleasure in receiving consensually agreed-upon pain or intense sensation
Power exchange — A relationship dynamic where one person is relinquishing power and the other is wielding the given power.
Total Power Exchange(TPE) — a relationship dynamic where one person is relinquishing all power and the other is wielding all the given power
Caregiver/little(Cg/l) — a relationship dynamic where the top/dom is a nurturing, supportive, and sometimes disciplinary role and the bottom/sub is taken care of and often behaves in youthful, cute, or childish ways
Daddy Dom/little girl (DD/lg) — a gender specific term for Cg/l where the top is masc presenting and the bottom is fem presenting
Primal Play — A kind of play where participants embrace their animalistic instincts and may involve, biting, scratching, making animals noises (e.g. growling, howling, whining) or other physically rough play
Primal Predator — the top/dom in a primal dynamic who wants to fight and/or hunt and win
Primal Prey — the bottom/sub in a primal dynamic who wants to fight back and/or be hunted and eventually lose