Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɪnˌsɛl/
- Rhymes: -ɪnsɛl
Noun
incel (countable and uncountable, plural incels)
- 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.
2004, Phineas Mollod, Jason Tesauro, The Modern Lover: A Playbook for Suitors, Spouses & Ringless Carousers, Ten Speed Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 90:Though, involuntary celibates (or incels) shouldn't try to rationalize a dateless season or pass off sexual awkwardness as virtue; […]
2017 November 9, Christine Hauser, “Reddit Bans ‘Incel’ Group for Inciting Violence Against Women”, in The New York Times: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.
2018 May 15, Jia Tolentino, “The Rage of the Incels”, in The New Yorker:The incel ideology has already inspired the murders of at least sixteen people. Elliot Rodger, in 2014, in Isla Vista, California, killed six and injured fourteen in an attempt to instigate a “War on Women” for “depriving me of sex.”
- (rare) An individual who is not sexually active despite having such a desire.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:incel
- Antonym: volcel
- Hyponyms: AFChick, femcel
2009, Luisa Dillner, Love by Numbers: The Hidden Facts Behind Everyone's Relationships, Profile Books, published 2009, →ISBN, page 153: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).
- (uncountable, seduction community, informal) "Involuntary celibacy": the state of being not sexually active despite wishing to be.
- Synonyms: incelibacy, love-shyness, fuckstration, AFCdom, AFCness
- (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
Translations
member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner
Adjective
incel (not comparable)
- (seduction community) Not having sexual relations despite wishing to.
- Hypernym: love-shy
2001 May 30, Gra - gra, “I love you!”, in alt.support.shyness (Usenet):People who are 'incel' are often suspected as being gay. It's annoying.
References
“The woman who founded the 'incel' movement”, in BBC News, BBC, 2018 August 30