Androsexual: Definition, Meaning, and Sexual Orientation

The attraction may be directed toward:

• men;
• masculine-presenting people;
• male-aligned nonbinary people;
• people with masculine features or mannerisms;
• masculine gender expression;
• a combination of masculine identity, appearance, voice, or behavior.

For example, a nonbinary person who is mainly attracted to men may use androsexual because words such as gay or straight depend partly on the speaker’s own gender.

The word does not mean that an androsexual person is attracted to every man or every masculine person. Sexual orientation describes a general pattern, while individual attraction remains selective.

As an adjective:

• She identifies as androsexual.
• He described his orientation as androsexual.
• They are an androsexual nonbinary person.
• Androsexual attraction may focus on men or masculine expression.

As a noun:

• She is an androsexual.
• Some androsexuals use the term instead of gay or straight.

The adjective construction is generally more natural:

• Preferred: He is androsexual.
• Also possible: He is an androsexual.
• More specific: He is an androsexual man.

Common expressions include:

• identify as androsexual;
• androsexual orientation;
• androsexual attraction;
• androsexual identity;
• come out as androsexual;
• androsexual and nonbinary;
• androsexual relationship;
• androsexual community.

The word is generally written as one word without a hyphen.

• andro-: a combining form referring to a man, male person, or maleness;
• sexual: relating to sexual attraction, sexuality, or sexual orientation.

The element andro- comes from a Greek root associated with “man” or “male.” It also appears in words such as:

• androgen;
• andrology;
• androcentric;
• androgynous;
• androphilia.

Merriam-Webster defines andro- as a combining form relating to a male human being or male characteristics.

The ending -sexual does not necessarily refer to sexual behavior. In identity terms, it generally describes the pattern or direction of sexual attraction.

It may involve:

• eroticinterest in someone;
• desire for sexual contact;
• sexual fantasies involving that person;
• interest in their body or physical presence;
• a feeling of sexual chemistry.

Sexual orientation may include patterns of sexual and emotional attraction, as well as the identities or affiliations associated with those patterns.

Sexual attraction is different from:

• romantic attraction;
• admiration;
• aesthetic attraction;
• friendship;
• libido;
• sexual behavior.

An androsexual person may find masculinity sexually attractive without wanting a romantic relationship with every person they find appealing.

Attraction to Men

Someone may use androsexual to mean attraction mainly or exclusively to people who identify as men.

This can include:

• cisgender men;
• transgender men;
• men with masculine expression;
• men with feminine or androgynous expression.

A man does not need to appear traditionally masculine to be a man.

Attraction to Masculinity

Another person may use androsexual for attraction to masculine qualities regardless of the other person’s gender.

This attraction might include:

• masculine clothing;
• a deep or traditionally masculine voice;
• facial hair;
• muscularity;
• masculine body language;
• assertive or culturally masculine mannerisms;
• a masculine gender presentation.

Under this broader meaning, an androsexual person might be attracted to masculine women or masculine nonbinary people as well as men.

Because these meanings are not identical, someone using the term may need to explain whether their attraction centers on male identity, masculine expression, or both.

• Androsexual: usually describes a sexual orientation or identity involving attraction toward men or masculinity;
• Androphilic: means attracted to men or masculine characteristics;
• Androphilia: the corresponding noun for that attraction.

Androphilic can be useful in research or descriptive writing because it identifies the direction of attraction without defining the person’s own gender.

For example, both a woman attracted to men and a man attracted to men could be described as androphilic. However, they may personally identify as heterosexual, gay, bisexual, queer, or another orientation rather than as androsexual.

Identity labels and descriptive classifications are not always interchangeable.

Androsexual describes attraction toward men or masculinity without specifying the androsexual person’s own gender.

For example:

• A man attracted primarily to men may identify as gay, androsexual, or both.
• A nonbinary person attracted primarily to men may prefer androsexual because gay may not describe their experience as precisely.
• A woman attracted mainly to masculine people might use androsexual, although she might also identify as heterosexual, bisexual, or queer.

The best term depends on the individual’s understanding of their gender and attraction.

The meaning of straight depends partly on the gender of the person using it. Androsexual does not.

For example:

• A woman attracted to men may identify as straight or androsexual.
• A nonbinary person attracted to men may prefer androsexual because straight may feel unclear or overly binary.
• A man attracted to men could be androsexual but would not ordinarily be described as straight.

Thus, androsexual identifies the target of attraction without automatically categorizing the attraction as same-gender or different-gender.

A general comparison is:

• Androsexual: attraction toward men or masculinity;
• Gynesexual: attraction toward women or femininity.

Some people experience both forms of attraction. For example, a person may be attracted to masculine men and feminine women and identify as bisexual.

Neither term requires the person experiencing the attraction to have a particular gender.

An androsexual person may be attracted primarily to one broad gendered category—men, male-aligned people, or masculinity.

However, the identities may overlap.

For example, someone may identify as:

• bisexual and mainly attracted to masculine people;
• bisexual with an androsexual preference;
• androsexual because their attraction includes men and masculine nonbinary people;
• queer and androsexual.

A preference for masculinity does not automatically exclude bisexuality.

Androsexual usually emphasizes attraction toward men or masculine qualities.

Therefore:

• Pansexual: potential attraction across genders;
• Androsexual: attraction focused mainly on men or masculinity.

A pansexual person may still have a strong preference for masculine people. Such a person might use both labels, use only pansexual, or describe themselves as pansexual with an attraction to masculinity.

For example, a bisexual person may be attracted to several genders but more frequently notice masculine-presenting people. They may call this a preference rather than an orientation.

The distinction depends on how central masculinity is to the pattern of attraction.

• Masculine preference: masculinity is especially appealing but not necessarily defining;
• Androsexual orientation: attraction toward men or masculinity is a central feature of the person’s sexual orientation.

There is no formal test separating a preference from an orientation. Personal identification is important.

An androsexual person may be:

• a woman;
• a man;
• nonbinary;
• genderfluid;
• agender;
• transgender;
• cisgender;
• genderqueer.

Examples include:

• a cisgender woman attracted to men;
• a gay man attracted to other men;
• a nonbinary person attracted to masculine people;
• a genderfluid person whose attraction remains focused on men.

This flexibility is one reason the term may appeal to people who do not want their orientation label to depend on their own gender.

An androsexual person may be:

• androromantic;
• biromantic;
• panromantic;
• aromantic;
• demiromantic;
• grayromantic;
• queer-romantic.

Androromantic generally describes romantic attraction toward men, masculinity, or masculine people.

For example, someone may be:

• androsexual and androromantic;
• androsexual but aromantic;
• androsexual and biromantic;
• asexual but androromantic.

Using separate sexual and romantic labels can help describe attraction more precisely.

These may include:

• Sexual attraction: desire for sexual contact;
• Romantic attraction: desire for a romantic relationship;
• Aesthetic attraction: appreciation of masculine appearance;
• Sensual attraction: desire for physical closeness without necessarily wanting sex;
• Emotional attraction: desire for emotional intimacy;
• Platonic attraction: desire for friendship.

Finding a masculine person visually attractive does not automatically mean experiencing sexual attraction.

Likewise, enjoying masculine fashion or admiring a man does not necessarily indicate androsexuality.

Masculine expression is not limited to men.

A masculine-presenting person may be:

• a man;
• a woman;
• nonbinary;
• genderfluid;
• agender;
• another gender.

Similarly, men may present in masculine, feminine, androgynous, or mixed ways.

An androsexual person attracted to masculinity may therefore be attracted to people of several gender identities. Another androsexual person may be attracted specifically to men regardless of whether those men appear masculine.

Someone may use androsexual because:

• it describes attraction to masculinity;
• it avoids labeling the attraction as gay or straight;
• their own gender is nonbinary or fluid;
• their attraction includes men and masculine nonbinary people;
• it feels more precise than a broader term;
• they prefer gender-neutral orientation language.

Others may avoid the term because:

• it is unfamiliar to many people;
• they prefer gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, or queer;
• their attraction focuses on men rather than masculinity;
• they do not want to explain a specialized label;
• they understand androsexual differently.

Labels are tools for communication rather than compulsory categories.

It may sound:

• identity-focused;
• inclusive of nonbinary speakers;
• technical;
• unfamiliar in everyday conversation;
• more precise in some gender-diverse contexts.

The term should not be confused with androgynous.

• Androsexual: attracted to men or masculinity;
• Androgynous: having a mixture of masculine and feminine characteristics or appearing neither clearly masculine nor feminine.

A person can be attracted to androgynous people without being androsexual, and an androsexual person is not necessarily androgynous.

Androsexual always means attraction to masculinity rather than men.
Definitions vary; some users emphasize male identity, while others emphasize masculine qualities.

Only women can be androsexual.
People of any gender may use the term.

Androsexual is another word for gay.
A gay man may be androsexual, but the term can also describe people of other genders.

Androsexual and androgynous mean the same thing.
One describes attraction; the other describes gendered appearance or characteristics.

An androsexual person is attracted to every masculine person.
An orientation describes a general pattern, not attraction toward every individual.

Masculinity belongs only to men.
People of many genders may have masculine identities, qualities, or expressions.

1. Androsexual describes attraction toward men or masculinity.
2. They identify as androsexual because they are mainly attracted to masculine people.
3. A woman, man, or nonbinary person may be androsexual.
4. Some people use androsexual instead of gay or straight.
5. His androsexual attraction is directed mainly toward men.
6. She identifies as bisexual and has a strong androsexual preference.
7. Androsexual and androgynous have different meanings.
8. A masculine woman may be attractive to someone whose androsexuality focuses on gender expression.
9. An androsexual person may have a different romantic orientation.
10. The term does not specify the gender of the person experiencing the attraction.

The term can be especially useful for people whose own gender makes labels such as gay or straight feel unclear. It directs attention toward the gender or qualities that attract the person rather than defining the orientation through a relationship between two binary genders.

Understanding androsexuality also helps readers distinguish attraction to men from attraction to masculinity, sexual attraction from romantic attraction, and personal orientation from gender identity or gender expression.