top of page

Common Terms 
and 
Their Definitions 

​

  1. Attraction: A mental or emotional force that draws people together. This can be broken down into types, such as sexual, romantic, aesthetic, or sensual. This can be towards specific people, specific types of people, or a general personal feeling. Asexuals do not experience sexual attraction, but some feel other types of attraction. 

  2. Aesthetic attraction: Attraction to someone’s appearance without it being romantic or sexual. 

  3. Romantic attraction: Desire of being romantically involved with another person, or holding strong romantic feelings towards another person.

  4. Sensual attraction: Desire to have physical contact with someone else, like affectionate touching, cuddling, hugs, or kissing, that is not sexual or does not lead to sex. 

  5. Sexual attraction: Desire to have sexual contact with someone else or to share our sexuality with them. (Note: sexual attraction does not need to be based on appearance, and can also develop gradually over time.) 

  6. Sexual orientation: An identity or label typically based on the gendered direction of sexual attraction, or the lack thereof. For example, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual are sexual orientations. 

  7. Romantic orientation: An identity or label typically based on the gendered direction of romantic attraction. Some people may have different sexual and romantic orientations (e.g. a heteroromantic asexual). 

  8. Spectrum: A range of intensity of sexuality from asexual to sexual. People may use the term “asexual spectrum” to refer to a range close to the asexual end – levels of sexuality that are so low that they identify more with asexuality than other sexual identities. 

  9. Asexual umbrella: Asexuality and identities similar to asexuality, like demisexuality or graysexuality that are closely connected in a broader community. 

  10. Ace: An informal label for asexuals or people under the asexual umbrella. 

  11. Queerplatonic relationship: A committed relationship that is neither romantic nor sexual in nature but is based on an emotional bond beyond friendship, often between aromantic and/or asexual people.

© 2021 Grace and Company Media 

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
bottom of page