Acosexual

Acosexual describes a sexual orientation or self-description for people who experience sexual attraction to others, but also feel a strong aversion to sexual relationships or to the idea of being in a sexual relationship themselves.

This aversion can have different reasons. It may be connected to past negative experiences, trauma, physical or emotional boundaries, a need for autonomy, or specific ideas about relationships, but it does not have to be. Acosexual does not automatically mean that a person does not want closeness, affection, romantic connection, or other forms of relationship; the term mainly refers to sexual relationship concepts.

The term can be helpful when sexual attraction is present, but the desire for a sexual relationship is absent or experienced as unpleasant. As with all orientation terms, the individual decides whether “acosexual” accurately describes their experience.