Reciproromantic

Reciproromantic is a romantic orientation within the aromantic spectrum. People may describe themselves as reciproromantic if they experience romantic attraction to another person only after they know or clearly perceive that the other person has romantic feelings for them first. The term comes from “reciprocal” and refers to romantic attraction becoming returned or mutual.

Reciproromanticism describes a pattern of romantic attraction, not simply the wish for feelings to be mutual. Many people want reciprocity in romantic relationships; for reciproromantic people, however, romantic attraction typically arises only through the other person’s prior romantic interest. How explicit that interest needs to be can vary: some people may need a clear confession of feelings, while others respond to recognizable romantic signals or to an emotionally safe situation.

The term is a self-description and not a medical or psychological diagnosis. Reciproromantic people may have romantic relationships, but they do not have to; their experiences may also overlap with other orientations such as demiromantic, aromantic, asexual, or allosexual. Respectful use means taking a person’s self-description seriously and not forcing romantic interest or dismissing it as “just shyness” or “insecurity.”