Microlabels Explained: Aerosexual, Autisexual, Morosexual and Other Uncommon Terms
A sourced glossary of uncommon sexuality microlabels: autisexual, aerosexual, morosexual, semisexual, megasexual and more, with honest notes on disputed terms.
General education, not medical advice. If something here worries you, talk with a clinician.
Table of Contents
Aerosexual, autisexual, morosexual: words like these turn up in profiles, comment threads and flag posts, often with no explanation attached. Many of them are microlabels, small and specific sexuality words that sit under a bigger identity, the way a subheading sits under a heading.
This glossary gives each term a plain meaning, the better-known label it sits closest to, and the source the definition comes from. Some of these words have a settled community meaning. Others have three or four competing ones, started as jokes, or have no traceable meaning at all. Where that is the case, the entry says so instead of guessing. The goal is simple: help you understand a word you saw, or decide whether one fits you.
What microlabels are and where they come from
A label that sits under a bigger one
A microlabel narrows down an identity a person already has. The LGBTQIA+ Wiki gives the example of apothisexual, which means asexual and repulsed by sex. Saying “I’m apothisexual” already implies “I’m asexual”, because the smaller word modifies the bigger one.
Popularity has nothing to do with it. A well-known word can still be a microlabel if it is a subcategory, and a rare word that stands on its own is called a pocket identity instead. Brand-new coinages have their own name too: neolabels.
The same logic covers familiar terms. Demisexual and graysexual are often described as microlabels under the asexual umbrella, while pansexual and polysexual sit under the wider bisexual umbrella. Those ace-spectrum terms already have their own guide, asexual spectrum labels, so this page focuses on rarer words.
Born on forums, Tumblr and community wikis
These words grew up online, in community spaces rather than research papers. The wiki entry on microlabels traces their use to the MOGAI community on Tumblr and Reddit. Neurodivergent people have also used microlabels to describe gender and sexuality in their own terms.
Community wikis then act as the record. They often note who coined a word, on which platform and on what date, which is why several entries below can name a rough origin.
Why some people value them and others roll their eyes
Critics say microlabels are too specific. Writing in The Michigan Daily, columnist Audra M. Woehle sums up the jibe: people just want to feel special, so they invent words that mean nothing. Her answer is personal: she found asexual microlabels on online forums, alongside people relieved there was finally a word for their experience. She argues precise language helps people understand themselves and find others like them.
There is a philosophical side too. In a Quartz feature, philosophy professor Jeanne Proust argues that naming an experience is part of how it gets recognized at all. The same article notes that many newer identity terms reduce the focus on gender, whether for the person feeling desire or the person desired. Demisexual is one example, since it describes when attraction appears rather than which gender it points at.
How to read this glossary
Treat every definition here as a snapshot of community usage, written by the people who use the word. None of these terms comes from a medical manual, and none is a clinical category.
Even the dictionaries say so. Pronouns.page, a community-run queer dictionary, reminds readers that identity labels are subjective and flexible. It adds that its own entries are no authority, and that the only real authority on someone’s identity is that person.
Three more things to keep in mind as you read:
- Meanings drift. A word can pick up a second or third definition years after it was coined, as semisexual did.
- Some pages are shaky. Wiki editors flag entries they cannot verify, and the ansexual page carries both an unverified notice and a deletion warning.
- Neighbours help. Each entry names the closest well-established term, so you can fall back on a word most people already know.
When someone tells you their label, their own explanation beats any glossary, this one included. Ask them what it means to them.
Labels about how attraction is felt
This group describes the way attraction shows up: how often, under what conditions, and in what order. They say little about the gender of the people involved.
Allosexual (also called zedsexual)
Allosexual describes someone who is not on the asexual spectrum and regularly feels sexual attraction. Zedsexual is another name for the same thing. The word was created by asexual people as a neutral way to name everyone else, much as cisgender names people who are not transgender.
Where it sits: allosexual is the baseline that most ace-spectrum terms are measured against. The WhatIsAsexuality.com glossary defines it the same way, as someone who experiences sexual attraction and is not asexual. For the other side of that line, see what asexuality is.
Abrosexual
Abrosexual describes sexual attraction that is fluid and keeps changing. Someone might feel drawn to one gender for a stretch, then another, then very little attraction at all.
Nearest familiar word: sexually fluid. The difference is mostly emphasis, since abrosexual puts the change itself at the centre of the identity.
Dreamsexual
Dreamsexual, also called sognaresexual or yumesexual, means feeling sexual attraction during dreams but rarely or never while awake. The wiki places it on the asexual spectrum. A second, separate definition uses the word for attraction that is simply different in dreams, such as someone bisexual by day but heterosexual in dreams. The origin is unclear; the wiki says an anonymous user appears to have coined it.
Better-known relative: for the first meaning, graysexual, an umbrella for attraction that is rare or depends on conditions. The second meaning is closer to fluidity, since the attraction changes rather than fades.
Rosesexual
Rosesexual describes wanting sex, enjoying the idea of it, or feeling attraction, then becoming strongly sex-repulsed after a short time. Its romantic counterpart is roseromantic, and someone who is both may call themselves dualrose. The term and its flag were created by a FANDOM user in December 2020.
Broader home: the asexual spectrum, especially sex-repulsed asexuality.
Megasexual
Megasexual runs in the opposite direction from demisexual. Podcaster Leanne Yau, who uses the word for herself, says she feels no romantic or emotional attraction until a sexual connection exists. She is also clear that it is a loose descriptor of how she relates to people, closer to sapiosexual than to a formal orientation.
If you want a common word: allosexual, with a note about the order in which bonds form.
Labels about who attraction is directed toward
The next four terms name the kind of person someone is drawn to. Many describe attraction without stating the speaker’s own gender, which is why nonbinary people often find them useful.
Androsexual
Androsexual means sexual attraction to men. Some people use it more broadly for attraction to masculine-presenting people of any gender.
Everyday equivalent: gay (for men) or straight (for women). Androsexual covers both without saying anything about who is feeling the attraction.
Gynesexual (gynosexual)
Gynesexual, sometimes spelled gynosexual, means sexual attraction to feminine-presenting people in general. It mirrors the broader use of androsexual, focusing on presentation rather than on a fixed gender category.
Everyday equivalent, by speaker: lesbian or straight, depending on who is talking. Gynesexual sidesteps that choice.
Skoliosexual (ceterosexual)
Skoliosexual means sexual attraction to nonbinary and genderqueer people. A second usage covers attraction to people with an androgynous presentation. Pronouns.page lists it under an alternative name, ceterosexual, from the Latin word for “other”.
Nearest broad term: queer. Skoliosexual belongs with androsexual and gynesexual as a word for whom attraction is aimed at, here people outside the gender binary. That makes it different from pansexual, which is about attraction regardless of gender.
Sapiosexual
Sapiosexual describes someone who finds intelligence the most attractive trait in a partner. WebMD calls it a relatively new word that has grown more popular, and notes that both LGBTQ+ and straight people use it.
How it fits with other labels: this is a preference layered on top of any orientation. A straight sapiosexual and a lesbian sapiosexual are attracted to different genders.
For attraction that is romantic rather than sexual, the same prefixes often appear with “-romantic” endings. Our guide to romantic orientation explains how the two can differ.
Labels about attraction and the self
Two labels here look almost identical on the page but mean very different things. One ties sexuality to being autistic; the other describes attraction to oneself.
Autisexual
Autisexual describes an experience of sexuality so shaped by being autistic that the two cannot be pulled apart. The LGBTQIA+ Wiki is careful about what it does not mean: it is neither autism treated as a sexuality nor attraction to autistic people. It sits under a wider neurosexual umbrella, alongside related words such as autigay, autiace and autiqueer.
Not every autistic person uses it. The wiki notes that it fits only those whose sexuality feels influenced by being autistic, and that only autistic people can claim it.
Wider umbrella: neuroqueer, a broader term for a gender or orientation heavily shaped by neurodivergence. If someone’s experience is also on the asexual spectrum, autiace is the more specific option.
Autosexual
Autosexual describes someone whose sexual attraction is directed mainly or only toward themselves. One letter separates it from autisexual, so double-check which word a person used before responding.
Umbrella term: there is no common umbrella for this one. Some autosexual people are also on the asexual spectrum and some are not, so ask rather than assume.
Labels with unclear or disputed meanings
The words in this group come with the least to go on. Some have too many meanings, one started as a joke, and several have no traceable meaning at all.
Semisexual
Semisexual has four definitions in current use, according to the LGBTQIA+ Wiki. It can mean someone between fully asexual and fully allosexual, or someone with a libido but no sexual attraction. It can also mean the reverse, or an allosexual person who still finds ace concepts useful.
The history explains the mess. AVEN founder David Jay coined the first meaning in 2003 to fill a gap in the vocabulary. Graysexual largely replaced it in 2006, and the extra definitions arrived later through Urban Dictionary and Tumblr.
Safer alternative: graysexual. If you use semisexual, say which meaning you intend.
Semi bisexual
Semi bisexual has no settled definition in the wikis and glossaries we checked, and one article that does discuss it says recognition of the term is limited. That therapy-practice article describes it as attraction to more than one gender that does not show up evenly or all the time. Its example is strong romantic attraction to women alongside only occasional sexual attraction to men.
Broader label that may already fit: bisexual. Bisexual simply means attraction to more than one gender, with nothing said about equal amounts. A split label, such as a sexual orientation paired with a different romantic one, may also capture the pattern.
Ansexual
The wiki entry for ansexual describes a lack of interest in any kind of sexual pleasure or attraction, often paired with strong dislike of sexual feelings. The same page is marked unverified and listed as a candidate for deletion, because it has no sources and no history for the term.
Better-documented option: sex-repulsed asexual, which describes a similar experience with far more community writing behind it.
Morosexual
Morosexual does not appear in any of the glossaries we checked. The one use we traced is a joke: a Tumblr post in which the writer playfully claims attraction to people they find endearingly foolish. Treat it as internet humour rather than an identity term, unless someone tells you they use it seriously.
Real label to compare: there is no matching orientation. Attraction to a personality type works more like a preference, in the way sapiosexual does.
Aerosexual
Status: no established meaning found. None of the wikis and glossaries we checked defines aerosexual. One likely source of confusion is aegosexual, a near-identical spelling with a documented meaning. Pronouns.page lists aegosexual as an ace-spectrum microlabel for people who feel a disconnect between themselves and the subject of their arousal. They may have sexual fantasies or enjoy sexual content, yet generally feel little to no sexual attraction and usually do not want sex with another person.
Seeing aerosexual in a post? It may be a typo for aegosexual, or it may be something else entirely. Ask the person who used it before applying any meaning.
Adulseash, asexstoried and dellosexual
Status: no established meaning found. These words appear in some keyword lists, but none of the wikis, dictionaries or LGBTQ+ resources we checked defines them. They are listed here only so readers know the gap is real, not an oversight.
When a broader label may serve you better
A precise word can feel like relief. It can also box you in, confuse the people you are talking to, or lock you into a meaning that changes next year. Neither choice is more valid, and you can switch between them.
Signs a wider word fits better right now
You might lean toward an umbrella term such as queer, bisexual or asexual in a few situations:
- You are still questioning. spunout points out that it is normal to question your sexual identity and to identify differently over time. A broad word leaves room for that.
- The microlabel has several meanings. A word like semisexual can point in four directions. An umbrella term avoids the follow-up confusion.
- Your audience will not know the word. A doctor, a new partner or a relative may understand “asexual” instantly and need a paragraph for “rosesexual”.
- The definition does not quite match. Borrowing a microlabel that fits only halfway can feel worse than a broader word that fits loosely.
A worked example: rosesexual or asexual?
Picture Sam, who likes the idea of sex and sometimes feels drawn to a partner. Then, a short while into anything physical, the interest flips into strong discomfort. Sam reads the rosesexual entry above and recognises the pattern: wanting sex or feeling attraction, then becoming strongly sex-repulsed after a short time.
Here is how Sam might weigh the two options.
| Question | Rosesexual | Asexual |
|---|---|---|
| Does it describe the pattern? | Closely, including the switch | Partly, since Sam does feel some pull |
| Will most listeners know it? | Rarely | Usually |
| Does it leave room to change? | Less, it names one pattern | More, it covers a wide spectrum |
The table does not pick a winner. It shows that each word does a different job. In a forum for ace-spectrum people, rosesexual saves Sam a long explanation and may help Sam find others with the same experience. With a new partner, “I’m on the ace spectrum, and I can get sex-repulsed quickly” may land better, because it uses words the partner already knows.
Sam does not have to choose once and for all. A common approach is to keep the precise word for yourself and trusted spaces, and lead with the broader one elsewhere. If the pattern shifts in a year, the umbrella term still fits, and the microlabel can quietly drop away.
The same test works for any pair. Ask whether the smaller word describes you better, whether the people in front of you will understand it, and how much room you want to change.
Using both, or none
Many people use more than one level at once. You might say “bi” to coworkers, “skoliosexual” in a queer group chat and nothing at all on a first date. That is a normal way to manage what you share.
Going without a label is a recognized option too. Pronouns.page describes unlabeled people as those who see no need for labels or feel no category fits them. It also lists label non-conforming people, who treat labels casually rather than as strict or mandatory. spunout makes the same point more plainly: plenty of people choose not to label their sexuality at all.
A microlabel is not a diagnosis
A microlabel is a word you choose to describe your own experience. A diagnosis is a clinical judgment about a health problem, usually one that causes distress and calls for care. The two answer different questions, and none of the labels on this page names a disorder.
Research on asexuality points the same way, at least for an absence of sexual attraction. A review published in Archives of Sexual Behavior in 2016 weighed whether asexuality is a psychiatric condition, a desire disorder or an orientation. The authors concluded it likely meets the conditions for a sexual orientation and called for more study. That finding is about asexuality as an identity. It does not mean every drop in desire is harmless, and low desire that causes distress is a different matter.
The same logic applies to autisexual. The term describes how being autistic shapes someone’s experience of attraction; it does not turn autism into a sexuality. Autism itself is a separate matter, assessed by clinicians, and an autisexual label neither confirms nor replaces that assessment.
So when does a health professional come in? Talk to one if something about your desire or attraction is causing you distress, has changed suddenly, or is straining a relationship in a way you want help with. That conversation is about how you feel, not about which word you use. A good clinician will respect your label while looking at the bigger picture.
Frequently asked questions about uncommon sexuality labels
What does zedsexual mean?
Zedsexual is another word for allosexual. It describes someone who is not on the asexual spectrum and regularly experiences sexual attraction. Asexual communities coined these terms so that people who do feel sexual attraction have a neutral name, instead of being treated as the unnamed default.
What does it mean to be skoliosexual?
A skoliosexual person is sexually attracted to nonbinary and genderqueer people. Some use it more loosely for attraction to androgynous presentation, whatever a person’s assigned gender. Pronouns.page lists ceterosexual as an alternative name.
What does it mean to be abrosexual?
Abrosexual means your sexual attraction is fluid and keeps changing. In practice, who you are drawn to, or how strongly, may shift over time. The label puts that movement at the centre of the identity, rather than any one fixed pattern.
Is autisexual the same as being autistic?
Not quite. Autisexual describes an autistic person whose experience of sexuality is closely shaped by being autistic. It is not autism as a sexuality, and it is not attraction to autistic people. Many autistic people never use the word, because it fits only those who feel that link.
How many sexualities are there?
There is no fixed number. New terms keep appearing, and an older one can pick up extra meanings, as semisexual did when it gathered four definitions. Quartz notes that many newer identity terms emerged within a single decade. A count would be out of date quickly, so a broad term plus a clear explanation often communicates more than a precise tally.
Finding words that fit, at your own pace
Think of these words as tools for describing yourself. Like any tool, they work best when they fit the job. Some, such as allosexual, skoliosexual and autisexual, have clear and well-documented meanings. Others, like semisexual, carry several meanings at once. A few, including aerosexual, morosexual and dellosexual, have no settled meaning at all.
If a word on this page made something click, use it, and be ready to explain it. If none did, an umbrella term or no label is just as legitimate. For the ace-spectrum terms this page did not repeat, start with asexual spectrum labels. To separate sexual and romantic attraction, see romantic orientation explained.
Related reading
- The Asexual Spectrum: Labels Grouped by What They Describe
- Romantic Orientation Explained: Labels, Combinations, and How to Tell
- Aesthetic Attraction, Sensual Attraction and the Other Pulls You Feel
- What Is Asexuality? Meaning, Spectrum, Myths and Research
Sources
- Microlabel - LGBTQIA+ Wiki - LGBTQIA+ Wiki
- Umbrella terms and microlabels are the language of inclusion - The Michigan Daily (opinion, Audra M. Woehle)
- Omnisexual, gynosexual, demisexual: What’s behind the surge in sexual identities - Quartz (Olivia Goldhill)
- Dictionary of queer terminology - Pronouns.page (community-run dictionary)
- Semisexual - LGBTQIA+ Wiki (archived copy) - LGBTQIA+ Wiki via Internet Archive
- Ansexual - LGBTQIA+ Wiki (archived copy) - LGBTQIA+ Wiki via Internet Archive
- Allosexual - LGBTQIA+ Wiki - LGBTQIA+ Wiki
- Glossary - What Is Asexuality - WhatIsAsexuality.com
- A-Z of sexual identity - spunout (Irish youth information service)
- Dreamsexual - LGBTQIA+ Wiki (archived copy) - LGBTQIA+ Wiki via Internet Archive
- Rosesexual - LGBTQIA+ Wiki (archived copy) - LGBTQIA+ Wiki via Internet Archive
- Demisexual vs. Megasexual with @remodeledlove - Poly Philia (Leanne Yau)
- Dictionary of queer terminology (term data) - Pronouns.page (community-run dictionary)
- What Is Sapiosexual or Sapiosexuality? - WebMD
- Autisexual - LGBTQIA+ Wiki - LGBTQIA+ Wiki
- Finding Your Place: A Guide to Semi-Bisexuality in Today’s World - LGBTQ Therapy Space
- I’m proud to identify as morosexual - @thecheesyllama on Tumblr
- Asexuality: Sexual Orientation, Paraphilia, Sexual Dysfunction, or None of the Above? - Archives of Sexual Behavior (Springer)