Sexual Wellness Glossary

Plain-language definitions of sexual wellness terms — from materials and ingredients to practices and relationships. Each entry is written in clear English, reviewed for accuracy, and linked to in-depth guides, so you can go as deep as you like on any topic.

Body & Health

C

Cervix

The cervix is the narrow, cylindrical lower end of the uterus that extends into the top of the vaginal canal....
L

Libido

Libido is the psychological and physiological drive toward sexual activity. It is not a fixed setting you are born with...
P

Perineum

The perineum is the strip of skin and tissue that runs between the genitals and the anus. In people with...
V

Vulva

The vulva is the collective term for the external genitalia of people assigned female at birth. It is not a...

Materials & Ingredients

B

Body-Safe

"Body-safe" is a marketing term, not a regulated one. It describes intimate products made from materials that are nonporous, free...
M

Medical-Grade Silicone

Medical-grade silicone (also called platinum-cured silicone) is a chemically inert, non-porous polymer widely regarded as the gold standard body-safe material...
N

Non-Porous

Non-porous describes a material with a sealed, non-absorbent surface: liquids, bacteria, and residue sit on top of it rather than...
P

Phthalate-Free

Phthalate-free describes an intimate product made without phthalates: a family of synthetic plasticizer chemicals used to soften rigid plastics like...

Practices & Dynamics

B

BDSM

BDSM stands for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism, three overlapping pairs that name a broad range...

Bondage

Bondage is the practice of consensually restraining a partner's body, or being restrained, as part of sexual or erotic play....
F

Fetish

A fetish is a specific object, body part, material, or scenario that becomes a consistent and necessary, or strongly preferred,...
K

Kink

A kink is a sexual interest, fantasy, or practice that falls outside what a given culture treats as conventional sex....

Relationships & Communication

G

Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a pattern of psychological manipulation in which one person causes another to question their own memory, judgment, or...
L

Love Languages

Love languages are the five distinct ways people prefer to give and receive emotional affection in relationships, as described by...
M

Monogamy

Monogamy is a relationship structure in which two people commit exclusively to each other, both sexually and romantically, agreeing not...
P

Polyamory

Polyamory is the practice of maintaining more than one romantic and/or intimate relationship at the same time, with the knowledge...