incel

noun

in·​cel ˈin-ˌsel 

plural incels

: a person (usually a man) who regards himself or herself as being involuntarily celibate and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active

The term "incels" emerged from a Reddit group in which tens of thousands of users, most of them young men, commiserate about their lack of sexual activity—many of them placing the blame on women.

—Josh O'Kane

In recent years, a number of these men have identified as so-called incels, short for involuntary celibates, an online subculture of men who express rage at women for denying them sex and who frequently fantasize about violence and celebrate mass shooters in their online discussion groups.

—Julie Bosman et al.

Examples of incel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This delicate dynamic got slammed into a concrete wall and lit on fire (complimentary) in the final minutes of the season-two finale, when Molloy was revealed to have been turned into a vampire by Armand, breaking the ancient vampire’s centuries-long incel streak. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 11 July 2024

Fincher recently addressed the controversial nature of that turn, as the film has become a favorite amongst incels and far-right groups. —Angelique Jackson, Variety, 24 Oct. 2024

Pitt’s sculpted physique remains a fitness ideal, and his virile performance is worshiped by pickup artists and incels. —Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024

Amid those concerns, the idea that Joker was courting incels was seized upon by news outlets wanting to have a potential controversy to write about. —Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

involuntary celibate

Note: The word incel apparently first appeared on a Usenet newsgroup in the late 1990's. See the article by Ben Zimmer, "How 'Incel' Got Hijacked," published online at Politico Magazine, May 8, 2018 (https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/08/intel-involuntary-celibate-movement-218324/).

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above