Clear language, organized by category.

A network of people connected through polyamorous relationships, including partners and metamours. Not every person in a polycule is necessarily dating or sexually involved with every other person.

A closed consensually non-monogamous relationship in which three or more people agree that romantic or sexual connections will remain within the defined group.

A bottom who takes an active, assertive, or high-energy role while receiving an activity. Bottoming describes who receives an action and does not necessarily imply submission or passivity.

The consensual giving and receiving of control within negotiated boundaries. It may be brief and playful or more structured, and consent remains revocable.

The pursuing, hunting, or assertive role in negotiated primal play. Predator is a fantasy role and never authorizes pursuit or contact outside explicit agreements.

The pursued, resisting, or receptive role in negotiated primal play. Prey is a fantasy role and does not reduce agency or the right to stop.

In explicitly hierarchical relationships, a partner given agreed priority or greater structural entanglement in areas such as housing, finances, parenting, or long-term planning. The label should not be assumed when people have not chosen it.

A person who provides negotiated dominance or BDSM services professionally. Titles such as pro Domme or dominatrix describe professional practice and do not determine gender, private identity, or the content of a session.

A consensually non-monogamous network or relationship involving four people. Connections within a quad may include every possible pairing or only some of them.

A self-selected lifestyle identity, often abbreviated QoS, used by some women who express a strong or exclusive sexual preference for Black men, sometimes within hotwife, cuckolding, or consensual non-monogamy dynamics. Meanings vary, and the label describes interest rather than another person's consent or availability.

Consensual adult roleplay or erotic fantasy that deliberately engages racial identities, stereotypes, language, status, or power. Because it can evoke personal and collective experiences of racism, participants commonly negotiate exact language, roles, privacy, stop signals, emotional boundaries, and aftercare in detail.

Sexual intimacy between established partners after outside or group play, used by some people to reconnect, transition, or affirm their bond. It is optional and should not be treated as an obligation or proof of commitment.

An approach to relationships that resists automatic hierarchies and predefined rules, encouraging people to build each connection through explicit, mutually chosen agreements rather than assumptions based on labels.

The social expectation that an intimate relationship should progress through a standard sequence such as exclusivity, cohabitation, marriage, merged finances, and parenting. People may choose some, all, or none of these steps.

A person who ties, applies, or directs rope bondage. It is a skill or activity role and does not by itself indicate dominance, relationship authority, or expertise.

A community framework, often shortened to RACK, that emphasizes identifying foreseeable risks, sharing relevant information, reducing harm where possible, and knowingly deciding whether to accept remaining risk. It does not replace ongoing consent or activity-specific skill.

An approach that emphasizes honest discussion of foreseeable risks, personal limits, and ways to reduce harm before agreeing to participate.

A person who is tied or otherwise receives rope bondage. It is an activity role and does not by itself indicate submission, passivity, or reduced responsibility for communication.

In consensual kink, a person who enjoys giving negotiated pain, intensity, or challenge. Sadism describes an interest or sensation role and does not necessarily imply dominance.

A BDSM safety framework, often shortened to SSC, emphasizing consent, sound judgment, and efforts to practice safely. The wording is debated because no activity is entirely safe and “sane” can stigmatize mental-health differences.