Sapphic Terms & Definitions
- Lillie
- Feb 16
- 2 min read
A lot of times things get misconstrued in the community. I noticed this when I had women submit intake forms for matchmaking. Of course there's always the option of choosing non-binary. However, some people just truly don't know the meaning behind certain terms. If I missed anything, feel free to comment below.
Sapphic - An umbrella term for women and woman-aligned people who are attracted to other women (romantic and/or sexual). Including lesbians, bi women, pan women and more.
Lesbian - A woman who is romantically and/or sexually attracted to other women.
WLW (Women Loving Women) - A broad term for romantic or sexual relationships between women, regardless of specific label.
Queer - A reclaimed umbrella term some women use insisted of lesbian or bi.
Attraction and Relationship Terms
Romantic attraction - Wanting emotional intimacy or partnership with another woman.
Sexual attraction - Physical or erotic interest in another woman.
Demisexual (sapphic) - Only feeling sexual attraction after emotional connection.
Ace lesbian / Ace sapphic - A woman who loves women romantically, but had little or no sexual attraction.
Soft Masc / Stud / Femme / Androgynous - Different expressions of gender presentation within sapphic culture.
Presentation and Style Terms
Femme - A sapphic who presents or embodies femininity.
Butch - A sapphic who presents masculinely; historically significant lesbian identity.
Stud - A masculine-presenting Black lesbian (culturally specific term).
