AWALT

“All women are like that;” used to stereotype women.

AWFL/AWFUL

“Affluent white female (urban) liberal;” used as a derogatory term for white progressive women. 

Alpha male/Beta male

The hierarchy in the manosphere culture: alphas are dominant and desirable, while betas are weak and unsuccessful.

Becky

Used to describe a woman who is less desirable than a Stacy; sometimes racialized or class coded. See also Stacy and Chad.

Black pill

Nihilistic world view among incels that one’s romantic prospects are biologically determined; that inferior men have no chance of ever having sexual relationships with women. See also red pill/blue pill and incel.

Body count

In the manosphere, body count refers to the number of sexual partners a person has had. It most often implies that a high body count is good for men, but bad for women.

Bop

“Been over passed;” used to label and shame a woman or girl as promiscuous. 

Briffault’s Law

A conspiracy theory that women use men for their personal gain. It is used to suggest women are selfish and deceptive beings and to justify anti-feminist attitudes.

Burnerverse/beev/BV

Loose online communities that form around U.S. college sports teams, consisting mostly of men of various ages. While most content focuses on the teams and their athletes, anonymous “burner” accounts have used these communities, sometimes called the “BV whoreverse”, to exploit, dox, or spread false rumors about young women. These accounts post nonconsensual, sexually explicit, and identifiable images and videos of these women, including deepfakes, in the hopes of going viral.

Chad

The archetype of an alpha male: a muscular, sexually successful man. The opposite of incel or beta male. Similar to another term for a hypermasculine man, a buff. Often depicted in memes and used in racist contexts. See also alpha male and Stacy.

Cope

Used to suggest someone “deal with it” or “cry about it.” Another example of a common word taking on a negative connotation in certain contexts, including some online communities.

Cracked/Cracking

Used to refer to having sex while avoiding censors on digital platforms. In the manosphere, it sometimes refers to nonconsensual sex, suggesting that men do the cracking and women get cracked. 

Cuck

An insult that implies a man is weak or feminized; suggests a man has been sexually humiliated.

Dox/doxx/doxxing

To post someone's private information or identity online, without their permission, with the intent to harass, humiliate, or intimidate them.

E-Girl/OnlyFans girl

Used to refer to women who earn income or attract attention through digital platforms; derogatory; reflects resentment of women’s presence online.

False allegations myth

The idea that women’s claims of sexual assault are often fabricated.

Femoid/Foid/FHO

“Female humanoid organism” is an insulting term meant to suggest women are not only less than men, but less than human.

Feminist agenda

While "feminist agenda” may refer to different or progressive ideas in other contexts, in the manosphere, the term is in reference to a conspiracy theory that feminists control media, education, and politics to oppress men.

Frame/Maintaining frame

Emotional control and dominance over women; a popular concept in PUA and red pill communities.

Gooner/gooning

“Gooners” are an online community dedicated to compulsive and excessive masturbation, or “gooning,” sometimes in competition with one another. What began as an online culture has moved into the mainstream, as more gooners film themselves committing sexual harassment and assault by masturbating in front of women or ejaculating on women in public – known as “tagging” or “sharking.”

Gymcel

A subset of the incel movement that promotes bodybuilding to attract women and overcome celibacy. See also incel.

Gynocentrism

The claim that society is dominated by women’s interests.

Hamster (rationalization hamster)

Derogatory metaphor describing women as irrational.

High-value male/man

See SMV. A reference to someone with superficial markers of value, including fitness and wealth.

Hyperagency

The idea that women possess excessive social or sexual power in society and over men.

Hypergamy/Hypergamous

Used derogatorily to refer to women being obsessed with marrying up with men who are physically attractive and financially successful.

Incel (involuntary celibate)

A person who believes that men are entitled to sex and that women purposefully deprive them of it; a core manosphere ideology. Extremist incel culture promotes rape and assault and brings together other ideologies, including racism and homophobia. Incels have been linked to acts of mass violence.

Looksmaxxing/Statusmaxxing

Attempting to increase sexual attractiveness, including through exercise and surgery. Looksmaxxing communities often subject men and boy’s photos to brutal comments. Maxxing culture has evolved as a social trend referring to the optimization of everyday life as if it were a video game, like “proteinmaxxing” or “careermaxxing.”

Male supremacism

Ideology asserting men’s superiority over women; extremist misogyny.

Manosphere

A loose network of communities that claim to address men’s struggles – dating, fitness or fatherhood, for example – but often promote harmful advice and attitudes

The Matrix

Also called "The Blue Pill World”, this refers to society, which in some manosphere ideologies is seen as oppressive to men and overly feminist. Manosphere influencers claim to help men and boys escape the Matrix and break out of this oppressive society or system. See also Red pill/Blue pill. 

Men going their own way (MGTOW)

Movement that suggests society is rigged against men – and that it is best to avoid women, and even mainstream society, altogether.

Men’s rights activist (MRA)/Men’s rights movement (MRM)

Individuals and the broader umbrella term for a main manosphere ideology that often takes an academic tone to claim that feminism and women’s rights – to vote, to education, to leadership positions – have disadvantaged men. This claim that society is leaving men behind predates the manosphere.

Mewing

An example of a medically unproven exercise promoted as a type of looksmaxxing, in this case with the intention of building a more defined jawline.

Mogging

Derived from “alpha male of the group” (AMOG); used in looksmaxxing forums to describe someone who is superior and makes others seem inferior. 

Normie

A “normal” person outside of the manosphere community; considered ignorant or conformist.

Patriarchy denialism

The belief that men are the oppressed gender and that patriarchy does not exist.

Pick-up artist (PUA)

Refers to individuals within a core manosphere ideology that teaches members how to coerce women into sex, as if a game, and mocks the idea of sexual consent.

Rage bait

Online content deliberately designed to be frustrating, provocative or offensive in order to increase traffic and engagement.

Red pill/Blue pill

Red pill ideology, or to "be redpilled," means to wake up to a reality that the world favors women over men. In reference to the movie The Matrix, it suggests that people who disagree have taken the blue pill. See also black pill.

Red pill rage/Blue pill rage

The feelings of anger and resentment that set in upon “waking up” to manosphere ideologies and injustices against men.

Reverse discrimination

The claim that feminism and gender equality efforts unfairly disadvantage men; similar to the claim that society is misandrist, or prejudiced against men.

SA

An acronym for “sexual assault” used to get around content guidelines on digital platforms.

Sigma male

The lone wolf archetype who embodies independence and dominance.

Simp

An insult targeting men viewed as excessively kind, deferential or supportive of women.

SMV (sexual market value)

Ranking of individuals’ worth based on their attractiveness in terms of physical appearance and status.

Soy boy/Soya boy

A derogatory label for men seen as effeminate or progressive.

Stacy

An idealized, highly attractive woman that is considered unattainable. The female counterpart to Chad. See also Becky and Chad.

Thot/THOT/thottie

“That ho over there;” used to label a woman as promiscuous.  

Unalive

Used in reference to death, including murder or suicide, to get around content guidelines on digital platforms.

Wagecuck/Corporate slave

A slur mocking men with conventional jobs; used to glorify alpha independence or entrepreneurship.

White knighting

A disparaging term for men who defend women’s rights or oppose misogyny.