Meanings
plural headmates
- multiplicity slangOne of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
The first one of the headmates (our word for alter) I was aware of was a boy named Josh.
2018, "The Entropy System", Toi Magazine, December 2018/January 2019, page 562 more examples
With co-fronting, typically only one headmate at a time functions as the ‘main fronter’ who does the majority of physical driving of the body, […]
2020, Tynan Drake, "Intersectional Representation: LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse voices in transmedia fiction", paper submitted to Ball State University, page 36Each headmate has their own experiences, memories, emotions and requirements, thus should be spoken to and referred to in their own preferred way.
2021, Zarah Eve, Sarah Parry, “Exploring the experiences of young people with multiplicity”, in Youth and PolicySynonyms: alter, systemmate
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
Origin
From head + -mate. See head (“mind, thoughts”).
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
headmate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headmate
“headmate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headmate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “headmate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headmate.
Source: headmate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.