Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *né
Proto-Indo-European *n̥-
Proto-Italic *n̥-
Latin in-bor.
Middle English in-
English in-
Middle English voluntarie
English voluntary
English involuntarysyl. abbr.
Latin caelebslbor.
English -ate
English celibatesyl. abbr.
English incel
Syllabic abbreviation of involuntary celibate. Coined by "Alana" in 1997 on an online forum (originally as invcel). Came to widespread usage in the mid-2010s, chiefly online, but now more widespread.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Not having sexual relations despite wishing to.
People who are 'incel' are often suspected as being gay. It's annoying. 2001 May 30, Gra - gra, “I love you!”, in alt.support.shyness (Usenet):
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *né
Proto-Indo-European *n̥-
Proto-Italic *n̥-
Latin in-bor.
Middle English in-
English in-
Middle English voluntarie
English voluntary
English involuntarysyl. abbr.
Latin caelebslbor.
English -ate
English celibatesyl. abbr.
English incel
Syllabic abbreviation of involuntary celibate. Coined by "Alana" in 1997 on an online forum (originally as invcel). Came to widespread usage in the mid-2010s, chiefly online, but now more widespread.
Meanings
(countable, informal, rare, uncountable) "Involuntary celibacy": the state of being not sexually active despite wishing to be.
(countable, uncountable) Someone (especially a man) who desires a sexual relationship but considers themselves unable to attract a partner; (often specifically), a member of an online subculture of people who identify in this way, often adopting resentful or misogynistic attitudes towards women as a result.
The incel ideology has already inspired the murders of at least sixteen people. 2018 May 15, Jia Tolentino, “The Rage of the Incels”, in The New Yorker:
Who are the ‘incels’ and how do they relate to Toronto van attack? 2018 April 25, Alex Hern, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/25/what-is-incel-movement-toronto-van-attack-suspect, The Guardian:
A subreddit, or forum on Reddit, called r/incels was one of the most visible meeting places for self-identified incels until it was banned by Reddit in 2017 for “violent content.” 2023 March 16, AJ Willingham, “What does the term ‘incel’ mean?”, in CNN:
This report finds that the Wiki is a site of attempts to divorce the concept of being an incel from believing in the blackpill, and we argue that this is intended as a means of both expanding the category of incels to make them politically relevant, and dissociating the label ‘incel’ from violent misogyny. 2023 January 14, Meg Roser, Charlotte Chalker and Tim Squirrell, “Spitting out the blackpill: Evaluating how incels present themselves in their own words on the incel Wiki”, in Institute for Strategic Dialogue, pages 5-6:
Though, involuntary celibates (or incels) shouldn't try to rationalize a dateless season or pass off sexual awkwardness as virtue; […] 2004, Phineas Mollod, Jason Tesauro, The Modern Lover: A Playbook for Suitors, Spouses & Ringless Carousers, Ten Speed Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 90:
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. 2017 November 9, Christine Hauser, “Reddit Bans ‘Incel’ Group for Inciting Violence Against Women”, in The New York Times:
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). 2009, Luisa Dillner, Love by Numbers: The Hidden Facts Behind Everyone's Relationships, Profile Books, published 2009, →ISBN, page 153:
tr incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · da incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · ru инце́лка (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · es íncel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · fr incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · nl incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · pl incelka (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · pl incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · ru инце́л (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · uk інце́л (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · uk інце́лка (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · de Incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · et incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · it incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · mr इनसेल (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · ja インセル (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · es incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · fi incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner) · pt incel (member of an online subculture unable to find a romantic or sexual partner)