abrosexual

What does abrosexual mean?

Abrosexual refers to a sexual orientation that is not fixed. The sexual orientation of an abrosexual person may shift, for example, between asexuality, bisexuality, and pansexuality. Abrosexuality is thought of as unrelated to a person’s gender identity and is typically marked by irregular shifts in who one is attracted to (and by how much).

Examples of abrosexual

Specifically I'm what's called an abrosexual lesbian. It's like the sexuality equivalent of genderfluid. I'm predominantly lesbian, but I sometimes fluctuate between that and pansexual.
—@deadguybob, Threads, 27 Apr. 2024

Being abrosexual isn’t about “changing your mind” or simply using a different label to describe your orientation. It means that your actual experience changes over time.
—Sian Ferguson, Healthline, 27 May 2022

Hi, my name is Jaimie and I'm an abrosexual … My sexuality randomly changes from asexual, heterosexual, bisexual, pansexual, homosexual, etc.
—botanywildfowl (user), Asexual Visibility and Education Network (Internet forum), 20 Sep. 2016

Where does abrosexual come from?

The abro- in abrosexual is based on the Greek habros, meaning “delicate, graceful, beautiful, pretty.” It is modeled on other similar words naming sexual orientation, such as bisexual and heterosexual. The use of abro- in the word is apparently meant as a representation of the flux or fluidity that characterizes this sexual orientation. While its exact origins are unknown, abrosexual has been recorded online since 2013.

How is abrosexual used?

Abrosexual is mainly used as an adjective, describing a person’s sexual identity or relating to the state or experience of being abrosexual. It is most commonly used as a self-identifying label in the LGBTQ+ community and sometimes shortened as abro, just as bi or pan are abbreviated from bisexual and pansexual. Occasionally, it is used as a noun for a person who is abrosexual, although calling a person “an abrosexual” could be offensive, depending on speaker and context. A related term is abromantic, referring to fluctuation in one’s romantic—as distinguished from sexual—attraction.