incel
noun
- members of an online subculture who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈɪn(ˌ)sɛl/
adj
Etymology: Blend of involuntary + celibate. Coined by "Alana" in 1997 on an online forum (originally as invcel). Came to widespread usage in the mid-2010s, chiefly online, but now more widespread.
- Not having sexual relations despite wishing to.
“People who are 'incel' are often suspected as being gay. It's annoying.”
noun
Etymology: Blend of involuntary + celibate. Coined by "Alana" in 1997 on an online forum (originally as invcel). Came to widespread usage in the mid-2010s, chiefly online, but now more widespread.
- A member of an online subculture of people (mostly men) who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one.
“Though, involuntary celibates (or incels) shouldn't try to rationalize a dateless season or pass off sexual awkwardness as virtue; […]”
“It is not clear when the term incels was coined, but the link between misogyny and violence against women has emerged on sites where incel communities gather.”
- An individual who is not sexually active despite having such a desire.
“Another study by Donnelly of seventy-seven incels in marriages or long-term relationships in the Journal of Marriage and Family used a web-based questionnaire to ask people why they stayed in their sexless relationships (defined in this case as no sex for six months).”
- A misogynistic man, with the implication that his misogyny makes him undesirable to potential partners, thus limiting his romantic and/or sexual prospects.
- "Involuntary celibacy": the state of being not sexually active despite wishing to be.