Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 11, 2026

Polysexuality

Polysexuality is a sexual orientation characterised by sexual attraction to many genders, but not necessarily all. Polyromantic is the romantic equivalent.

Last revised
Jul 11, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
Polysexuality
Parent categoryPlurisexuality
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Polysexual flag

Polysexuality is a sexual orientation characterised by sexual attraction to many genders, but not necessarily all.123 Polyromantic is the romantic equivalent.4

History of the term

The term, akin to most sexual orientations, derives its prefix from Ancient Greek; the prefix poly- means many.567 The term was first used during the 1920s.8 The term was added to Dictionary.com on 1 March 2018.9

Comparisons

This sexual orientation has been compared to other forms of multisexuality, such as bisexuality and pansexuality. Bisexuality is defined as being attracted to two or more genders, with individual definitions varying from person to person.10 Pansexuality means the sexual attraction to all genders.9 This is different from polysexuality due to polysexual people not always being attracted to all genders and gender can play a factor in their sexual attraction, though not always.6711 Some choose to use polysexuality, bisexuality and pansexuality interchangeably since these terms describe people who are attracted to more than one gender.17 Polysexuality is sometimes confused with polyamory, which is the practice of dating multiple people; polysexuality is a sexual orientation, while polyamory is a relationship style.6

Flag

The polysexual flag was designed in 2012 by Tumblr user Samlin.12 The flag uses pink for attraction to women, green for attraction to non-binary people and blue for attraction to men.61314

References

References

  1. Monteil, Abby (June 20, 2025). "What Does "Polysexual" Mean and How Is It Different From "Pansexual" and "Polyamory?"". Them. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  2. Grier, Aleesha; Grier, PsyD Aleesha; PsyD; Practice, Is a Practicing Clinical Psychologist with Her Own Private; more, assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine learn. "What Does It Mean To Be Polysexual?". Health. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  3. "Polysexual". Cosmopolitan. June 30, 2020. Archived from the original on April 4, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  4. "Here's Why This Genderqueer, Polyromantic, Demisexual Person Wants To Be A Nun". HuffPost. October 5, 2016. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  5. "POLY Definition & Meaning". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  6. "What Does Polysexual Mean?". Shape. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  7. "What Is Polysexuality?". WebMD. Archived from the original on June 25, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  8. "What is polysexuality?". Feeld. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  9. "polysexual". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  10. María Saldana. "What Does "Bisexual" Mean? 6 Bi+ People Explain". Them. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  11. Messman-Rucker, Ariel (July 10, 2025). "Signs you may be polysexual, according to experts". Out. Archived from the original on February 8, 2026. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  12. "Pride Flags". UBC Equity & Inclusion Office. University of British Columbia Okanagan. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  13. Glass, Jess (June 3, 2025). "Every LGBTQ+ flag you might see at Pride and what they all mean". PinkNews. Archived from the original on March 26, 2026. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  14. Padgett, Daniel (June 1, 2023). "Discover the origins and meanings of these 36 Pride flags". The Advocate. Archived from the original on April 21, 2026. Retrieved May 25, 2026.