Meanings
- formaluncountablelifestyleSynonym of petplay (“a fetish activity in which one takes on the role of an animal, sometimes as the pet of another”).
Pup play is a form of autozoophilia wherein participants engage in activities, manners, and behaviors akin to canines.
2024, Roger Kuhn, Somacultural Liberation: An Indigenous, Two-Spirit Somatic Guide to Integrating Cultural Experiences Toward Freedom, North Atlantic Books, →ISBN, page 1592 more examples
Species dysphoria in zoophilic men can be understood as an outgrowth of autozoophilia, just as gender dysphoria in gynephilic men can be understood as an outgrowth of autogynephilia.
2009 April 29, Anne A. Lawrence, “Erotic Target Location Errors: An Underappreciated Paraphilic Dimension”, in Journal of Sex Research, volume 46, numbers 2–3, Routledge; Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, →DOIReal animals share some physical similarity with anthropomorphic animals, suggesting that some male furries may additionally experience both sexual attraction to real animals (zoophilia) and sexual arousal by the fantasy of being a real animal (autozoophilia), if they are motivated by an ETII.
2019 July 29, KJ Hsu, JM Bailey, “The "Furry" Phenomenon: Characterizing Sexual Orientation, Sexual Motivation, and Erotic Target Identity Inversions in Male Furries”, in Archives of Sexual Behavior, volume 48, number 5, International Academy of Sex ResearchSynonyms: petplay
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of petplay (“a fetish activity in which one takes on the role of an animal, sometimes as the pet of another”).
Origin
From auto- (“reflexive, regarding or to oneself”) + zoophilia (“the human sexual attraction to non-human animals”). Coined in 2009 by the American psychologist, sexologist and physician Anne Lawrence.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
autozoophilia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autozoophilia
“autozoophilia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autozoophilia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “autozoophilia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autozoophilia.
Source: autozoophilia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.