The words we use,
defined
Plain-language definitions for the relationship terms we use throughout Luvset. Written to be clear without dumbing down, and honest about the stuff that's contested.
An umbrella term for openly agreed-upon romantic or sexual relationships with more than one person.
Multiple loving, committed relationships with everyone's knowledge and consent.
A committed couple agrees to outside sexual, sometimes romantic, connections while keeping the central partnership intact.
A framework where no relationship — romantic, sexual, platonic, caregiving — is ranked above another by default.
A relationship of two people committed to romantic and/or sexual exclusivity with each other.
A
2 terms
The capacity to be happy in either monogamous or polyamorous relationships, depending on the partner and context.
A partner who plays a stabilizing, long-term, often logistically central role in your life, without the hierarchical "primary" label.
C
3 terms
A polyamorous group where the existing members aren't open to new partners, at least for the time being.
A long-distance, low-frequency relationship that orbits in and out of your life, usually with deep connection during time spent together.
The feeling of joy at a partner's joy with someone else.
F
1 term
The practice of having unprotected sex with one or more partners as a deliberate choice, after agreement and STI testing.
H
1 term
A polyamorous structure where some relationships are explicitly given more weight, time, or decision-making power than others.
M
2 terms
Your partner's other partner. Your romantic in-law, in a sense.
A relationship between one monogamous person and one polyamorous person, where the poly partner has other partners and the mono partner doesn't want any.
N
3 terms
A partner you live with, regardless of where they sit in your broader relationship structure.
A polyamorous structure where no relationship is automatically ranked above another.
The intense, sometimes destabilizing high of a new connection.
P
3 terms
A style of polyamory where partners' other relationships exist separately, with little or no contact between metamours.
A connected network of people in non-monogamous relationships with each other or shared partners.
A committed group relationship where members agree to romantic and sexual exclusivity within the group.
Q
1 term
A four-person relationship structure, often two couples connected through romantic or sexual relationships across the pair.
R
1 term
The default cultural script that says relationships should progress through fixed stages: dating, exclusive, moving in, marriage, kids.
S
3 terms
An explicit agreement among partners about what sexual practices, testing schedules, and barrier methods will be used across the relationship network.
A relationship orientation where you remain a primary partner to yourself, even while having serious relationships with others.
A non-monogamous practice typically focused on shared sexual experiences with other couples or singles, often within a defined social scene.
T
1 term
A relationship between three people where all three are romantically or sexually involved with each other.
V
1 term
A polyamorous structure where one person (the "hinge") has two partners who aren't romantically involved with each other.
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