Meanings
plural aphobes
- neologismA person who fears or has a negative perception of asexual and/or aromantic people.
Whatever misconceptions people throw at you, be armed with education and words of affirmation. Don't let the aphobes get you down.
2023, Samantha Rendle, Hopeless Aromantic: An Affirmative Guide to Aromanticism, page 1172 more examples
Aphobes argue that 'cishet aces', by which they mean 'cisgender heteromantic asexuals', 'cisgender aromantic heterosexuals' and 'cisgender aromantic asexuals', are not part of the queer community because they are 'straight passing'.
2017, Ariel Scott, “Stop Saying It's Asexual Because That's Not What It Means”, in ShOUT Zine, page 11I just want you to know that you are doing a great thing for the community, you are being so brave and I'm so proud our community has someone like you to represent us and prove aphobes wrong.
2021, Yasmin Benoit, quoting @_x.kitkat.x, “Ace of Clubs”, in Amelia Abraham, editor, We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights, unnumbered page
Origin
From a- + (from asexual or aromantic) + -phobe.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
aphobe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aphobe
“aphobe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aphobe. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aphobe,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aphobe.
Source: aphobe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.