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
Josh O'KaneIn 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.
Julie Bosman et al.Examples of incel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Acts of mass violence are the province of neo-Nazis, misogynists, incels and other far-right extremists, the activists said — not Antifa.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2025
According to John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, these men are not radicals or incels.
—Theresa Iker / Made By History, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Boss is the film’s obvious villain, a vaping incel who sees all the young women who work for him as prey.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2024
In this installment, our Alpha Males discover new antifeminist concepts, like the manosphere and incels.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
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Will Carless, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2025
According to John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, these men are not radicals or incels.
—Theresa Iker / Made By History, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Boss is the film’s obvious villain, a vaping incel who sees all the young women who work for him as prey.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2024
In this installment, our Alpha Males discover new antifeminist concepts, like the manosphere and incels.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for incel
Cite this Entry
“Incel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incel. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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