More people are coming out as Almondsexual – here’s what it means

A New Term in the Spectrum: Almondsexual

In 2025, a new term is beginning to circulate in online queer communities: almondsexual. Defined broadly, almondsexual describes individuals who experience primary sexual (and sometimes romantic) attraction toward masculine‑aligned and/or androgynous/nonbinary people, while experiencing only limited or occasional attraction toward feminine‑aligned people.

Indulgexpress+2Newsner English+2
The term remains little‑known compared to mainstream orientations like gay, lesbian, bisexual or pansexual. Yet despite that, more people are adopting the label — or at least exploring it — as the vocabulary around sexual orientation continues to evolve.

Origin and Usage

The earliest documented use of “almondsexual” dates to around 2023, when a Tumblr user under the name “genderstarbucks” reportedly coined the term. Indulgexpress+1 According to online lexicons, the term functions as a microlabel — a narrower term within the broader umbrella of multisexual identities (those attracted to more than one gender). Orientation Wiki+1
The counterpart term is often cited as Berrisexual, which is described conversely as “primarily attracted to feminine‑aligned and nonbinary people, and only lightly to masculine‑aligned persons.” Newsner English
Because almondsexual remains relatively obscure, many people discover it via online platforms (Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram) rather than through formal LGBTQIA+ terminology lists or academic discourse.

What Being Almondsexual Means

At its core, identifying as almondsexual involves a consistent pattern of attraction preferences:

• A strong and recurring attraction to masculine‑presenting or masculinity‑aligned individuals, and/or androgynous or nonbinary people. Orientation Wiki+1

• A much weaker, rarer, or less intense attraction to feminine‑aligned people. That is, feminine alignments are either less appealing, or only occasionally the subject of attraction. Newsner English+1

• Because it sits under the multisexual umbrella, almondsexual people may identify as bisexual, pansexual, omni‑sexual, etc., but they use almondsexual to name their particular preference pattern. Indulgexpress

• The term is primarily descriptive of sexual attraction patterns; some extend it to romantic attraction (almondromantic) but that usage is less widespread. Orientation Wiki

In other words: being almondsexual isn’t about being exclusively attracted to one gender, but about having a notable and consistent preference toward masculine or nonbinary alignments over feminine ones.

Why the Term Matters

Why adopt a microlabel like almondsexual? There are several reasons:

1. Precision and self‑understanding:
Some people feel that broader labels like “bisexual” or “pansexual” don’t capture the nuance of their attraction patterns. They might realize they are “open to many genders,” yet find they almost always gravitate toward masculinity or androgyny, and rarely toward femininity. Having a label like almondsexual helps them identify more precisely what their pattern is.

2. Community and recognition:
Labels help people feel seen. When someone realizes “yes, that’s me” when reading the definition of almondsexual, they gain validation for their experiences. On Reddit, for example, users say they’re grateful to find the term because it describes what they felt but couldn’t name. Reddit+1

3. Challenging assumptions in attraction:
By foregrounding the nuance in attraction (not only who one is attracted to, but how frequently and how intensely), almondsexual highlights how sexual orientation can be more complex than “only men” or “only women.” It encourages reflection on what “preference” means, and how social conditioning, culture and identity all interplay.

4. Evolving LGBTQ vocabulary:
The LGBTQ+ community has long used terms to articulate varied attraction and gender experiences (e.g., bisexual, aromantic, demisexual). Almondsexual is part of a growing ecosystem of microlabels that allow people more fine‑grain self‑definition. While not yet formal or widely recognized in institutional contexts, such terms reflect how language evolves in community spaces first.

Criticisms and Considerations

However, almondsexual is not without critics and caveats:

1. Lack of formal recognition:
Unlike orientations recognized in professional psychology or mainstream LGBTQIA+ frameworks, almondsexual is informal and emergent. It lacks widespread research, clear boundaries, and institutional visibility. Some argue it functions more like “preference description” than “orientation.” Letterage+1

2. Potential for confusion:
Because the term is new and rarely encountered, people may misunderstand it (for example, thinking it means attraction to almonds). Reddit threads show people asking “Wait, what is almondsexual?” still. Reddit+1 Also, the line between preference (“I really like masculine presentations”) and orientation (“I am almondsexual”) may blur. Some caution that over‑labeling can silo or confuse identity.

3. Exclusivity vs inclusivity:
Any label that emphasizes “I am mostly attracted to masculinity” runs the risk of marginalizing those attracted to femininity, or reinforcing binary norms (masculine/feminine) even as it intends to expand recognition. Critics say it may inadvertently reinforce hierarchical ideas of attraction (e.g., “masculine aligning is more valid”) or exclude those with fluid preferences.

4. Trans and gender‑diversity sensitivity:
Because almondsexual emphasizes attraction to “masculine‑aligned” and “neutral/androgynous” presentations, care must be taken to respect transgender, nonbinary and gender‑nonconforming people. The community has raised concerns about language around “masculine‑aligned” as shorthand. Good practice calls for clarity that “masculine‑aligned” does not equal “cis male.” Some online discussions emphasize that anyone, regardless of gender identity, who presents masculinely could be included in the attraction pattern.

How People Use the Term

In practice, people adopting the term do so in the following ways:

• Prefacing it with “I identify as almondsexual” or “I’m use the term almondsexual because I’m mostly attracted to masculine‑aligned and androgynous people, only rarely to feminine aligned people.”

• Using the term in social‑media bios, comment threads, or orientation‑flag posts. Some Reddit users write: “I’m almondsexual, glad to find others like me.” Reddit+1

• Combining it with other identifiers: someone may say “I’m pansexual but almondsexual” to distinguish that while they’re open across gender, their pattern skews heavily masculine/androgynous.

• Using the term within community dialogues about attraction preference, identity nuance, and queer vocabulary.

What It’s Not

It’s important to note what almondsexual is not:

• It is not necessarily “exclusively attracted to men only.” That would be heterosexual or gay (depending on one’s own gender). Almondsexual describes predominant attraction patterns with less frequent attraction to feminine‑aligned people.

• It is not inherently about fetishizing masculinity or androgyny; rather, it describes what a person finds broadly attractive. But it must be used thoughtfully — avoiding reducing people to “masculine appearance only.”

• It is not a replacement for mainstream orientations like bisexual or pansexual, but rather an additional label someone might use to reflect nuance.

• It is not formal clinical terminology. Mental‑health professionals and major LGBTQIA+ resource organizations may not yet reference it. Therefore, it is used mostly community‑to‑community.

Why The Term Feels Timely

Several cultural currents help explain why almondsexual is emerging now:

• Increased visibility of nonbinary and gender‑fluid identities: As more people challenge the binary categories of gender (masculine/feminine), it’s natural for attraction patterns to be described in more detailed terms (masculine‑aligned, feminine‑aligned, nonbinary, etc.). Almondsexual reflects that shift.

• Platformed community language: Social media, Reddit and Tumblr allow niche labels to spread rapidly and gain traction among those who feel unseen by traditional labels.

• Growing recognition that attraction is multifaceted: Rather than “I’m attracted to men vs women,” many now say “I’m attracted to [type of presentation],” or “I rarely attract to x.” Labels like almondsexual allow this language.

• Microlabeling and precision identity‑language: As communities seek more inclusive and accurate ways to describe identity, microlabels proliferate. Almondsexual is part of that growth.

Should You Use the Term?

If you feel the term resonates, here are a few things to consider:

• Reflect honestly: Does your attraction pattern consistently lean toward masculine/androgynous alignments, with significantly less toward feminine alignments? If yes, almondsexual might describe you.

• Know the term’s context: Understand it’s informal, emergent, and may not be universally understood. Be ready to explain it or use alternate labels if needed.

• Combine as you wish: You don’t have to pick only one label. For example, you might identify as “pansexual, almondsexual” or “omnisexual with a big preference for masculine/androgynous people.”

• Be mindful of language and respect: Using “masculine‑aligned” or “androgynous” should not reduce people to appearance alone. Consider identity, gender, expression and respect.

• No pressure: Identity language is personal. If almondsexual feels right, go with it. If not, that’s okay. Labels are tools, not boxes.

Looking Forward

As almondsexual becomes more visible (though still niche), a few things might evolve:

• More community conversations and resources that explain it, perhaps including formal queer‑terminology glossaries.

• Greater intersection with gender‑diverse communities, since the attraction to “neutral/androgynous” alignments highlights nonbinary visibility.

• Potential for mutual understanding between people using labels like almondsexual and berrisexual (its “opposite”) in terms of attraction patterns.

• Debates about microlabel proliferation: Some will ask when specificity helps identity expression, and when it fragments community.

• More research, if scholars pick up the term: We may see articles or studies on how people self‑identify with microlabels like almondsexual.

Final Thoughts

In a world where identities are increasingly recognized in their complexity, almondsexual offers one more way for individuals to define their attraction in a way that feels authentic. It’s less about labeling for label’s sake, and more about acknowledging that the patterns of our attraction might not fit neatly into older buckets.
If you’re someone who finds you’re consistently attracted to masculine‑aligned or androgynous people, only rarely to feminine‑aligned folks, and you feel seen by the definition of almondsexual, you may find solace in the term. And if it doesn’t fit — that’s perfectly valid too. Identity is personal.
As language and community continue to grow, terms like almondsexual show how the conversation around sexual orientation is evolving — not just in who we love, but in how we describe how we love.