Dictionary
The Intersectionality Dictionary explores how language shapes our understanding of power, identity, and justice. Terms like intersectionality, privilege, or decolonization are widely used yet often misunderstood or stripped of their historical roots. This evolving resource goes beyond simple definitions: each entry traces a concept’s origins, examines its theoretical foundations, and reflects on how it appears in public debate today. By approaching words critically, the dictionary reveals the histories and power relations they carry. Designed to be accessible without oversimplifying, it helps students, educators, activists, and curious readers engage more thoughtfully with complex ideas—because understanding the language of power is a step toward challenging and transforming it. ✨
You can check out our dictionary by researching a word or browse the alphabet index.
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Austerity Policies
Austerity policies involve reducing domestic wages and prices in order to restore competitiveness with other sectors and balance the government’s budget (Blyth, 2015). The…
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Yes Means Yes
‘Yes Means Yes’ refers to the affirmative consent campaign surrounding sexual violence adopted by policymakers, activists, and educators. Affirmative consent requires a verbal, consensual,…
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Body Liberation
Influenced by Black feminism, disability justice, and queer theory, Body Liberation frames the body as a site of resistance against oppressive societal narratives. Not…
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Bodily Autonomy
My body is my own (UNFPA, 2021). Bodily autonomy is the right to control and the freedom to decide about what happens to their…
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White Silence
White Silence takes place when White people avoid speaking up about racial inequalities, such as when witnessing discriminatory behaviours or during conversations about race.…
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Trigger Warning
In psychological understanding, a trigger is an event, situation, or impulse that causes a chain reaction in people who have experienced traumatic events, leading…
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Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is a type of psychological violence that entails actions that are meant to hurt, control, or scare the targeted individual (National Domestic…
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Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a term used for a form of extreme exploitation in acts against their will. While ‘labor’ or ‘service’ usually refers to…
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Victim Blaming
Victim blaming is a social phenomenon in which responsibility for traumatic events is wrongly placed on the victim rather than the offender. This leads…
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Benevolent Sexism
The theory of ambivalent sexism distinguishes between hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Benevolent sexism (BS) includes idealizing and…
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Sexism
Prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination based on a person’s gender is understood as sexism. It is not limited to prejudice and discrimination against cis women…
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Internalized Sexism
Internalized sexism refers to the manifestation of sexist beliefs and practices that individuals, regardless of gender, may direct towards themselves or others (Bearman, 2009).…
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Class Stratification
Class stratification is one of many systems of societal stratification that place people into ranks. Class stratification, or usually referred to as class systems,…
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Transgender
Trans* is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of identities that go beyond traditional gender norms. Transgender (or Trans*) describes individuals whose gender…
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AFAB/AMAB
AFAB (Assigned Female at Birth) and AMAB (Assigned Male at Birth) are acronyms referring to the gender binary that is imposed on persons at…
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Fourth Wave of Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The fourth wave of feminism began around 2012 and continues to the present day. This wave builds on the achievements of…
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Third Wave of Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The third wave of feminism began in the early 1990s as a response to the perceived shortcomings of the second wave,…
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Second Wave of Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The second wave refers to a period of feminist activity that began in the United States in the early 1960s and…
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First Wave Feminism
Framing & Perspectives The first wave refers to the period of feminist activity during the late 19th and early 20th century, primarily in the…
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Hostile Sexism
The theory of ambivalent sexism distinguishes between hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Hostile sexism refers to the attitudes,…
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Acronym “LGBTQIAPN+”
LGBTQIAPN+ is an acronym that refers to a wide range of sexual and gender diversity. Like individuals, the LGBTQ+ acronyms and definitions are constantly…
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Bropropriating
Bropropriating, or bropropriation, is when a woman has an idea that is later appropriated by a man. Perhaps the woman speaks in a meeting…
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Waves of Classical Feminism
The first wave (late 19th and early 20th centuries) primarily sought legal rights like women’s suffrage (Evans, 1997). The second wave, from the 1960s…
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Classical Feminisms
Feminism is a social, political, and ideological movement that seeks to advance the rights and status of all individuals by challenging and dismantling systems…
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Trigger
A trigger in psychological understanding is an event, situation, or impulse that activates a traumatic memory that can lead to a chain of reactions…
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Consensual Pornography
Pornography is the (consensual) creation of graphic, auditory, or written content, meant to be sexually arousing. It can present bodies in a sexual manner,…
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Representation
Representation refers to how individuals, groups, and identities are included, recognized, and depicted across various social, cultural, and political contexts. This concept extends beyond…
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Body Image
Body image is defined as the picture of our own body that we form in our mind, that is, how the body appears to…
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Ableism
Ableism refers to the discrimination and prejudice against people with mental, emotional, or physical disabilities.While ‘ability’ refers mostly to a specific set of functional…
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Colonial Capitalism
Colonial capitalism refers to the exploitation of resources and labor in the Global South by the Global North. While ‘industrialisation’ refers to a country’s…
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Stereotype Threat
Stereotypes are representations and beliefs about people and the social groups to which they belong, usually generalized and misattributed (Operario & Fiske, 2003). Stereotype…
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White Defensiveness (Mechanisms)
The term White Defensive Mechanism is an umbrella term that refers to possible reactions shown by White individuals during discussions about racism, their own…
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Whitewashing
Whitewashing refers to all acts of intentional and unintentional altering of the facts, identities, and histories, especially those related to examples of racial inequalities…
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White Guilt
White guilt is a term used to describe the sentiments of guilt, shame, or discomfort that White individuals likely feel as a result of…
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Xenophobia
Xenophobia is a deep-seated fear of individuals perceived as outsiders or culturally different from one’s own community (Guy-Evans, 2023). During social or global crises,…
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White Tears
White Tears refers to emotionally charged reactions, such as guilt, sadness, or defensiveness, that are typically displayed by White individuals when faced with racism…
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Honor Based Violence
Honor Based Violence (HBV) is a form of gender-based violence. In some cultures, used to maintain a family’s reputation through the control of its…
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Bisexual
Bisexuality is a sexual orientation that refers to individuals who are romantically, emotionally, and/or sexually attracted to people of more than one gender. This…
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Woke
The term woke refers to a high awareness of social injustices, particularly related to racism and systemic inequality. However, it is not only about…
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Linguistic Imperialism
Linguistic imperialism refers to the dominance of one language at the expense of others, often leading to the marginalization or even extinction of non-dominant,…
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Microaggressions
Microaggressions are forms of subtle discrimination in the form of verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities. They are often automatically and unconsciously directed at members…
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White Fragility
White fragility, a term coined by Robin DiAngelo (2018), refers to a form of discomfort and defensiveness that White individuals tend to show when…
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Plurisexuality
Plurisexuality, also multisexuality, is an umbrella term describing different orientations and attractions to people of multiple genders and/or sexes. The terms plurisexual and multisexual…
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Acculturation
Acculturation refers to complex processes in which both individuals and groups’ psychological and cultural change results from contact between at least two different cultural…
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Victimization
Acts in which a person is the target of violence that results in physical or psychological injury are understood as victimization (Cruz, 1999). This…
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Microinterventions
Targets of microaggressions often experience a “freeze effect,” where they feel uncertain about how to respond. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, guilt,…
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Sexual Misconduct
Sexual misconduct is an umbrella term that describes any sexual act or behavior that takes place without a person’s consent. It covers a wide…
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Nonconsensual Pornography
Nonconsensual pornography (NCP) is the online distribution of sexually graphic photographs or videos of individuals without their permission (European Institute for Gender Equality, 2017).…
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Incel
Incel is a term that is used for an involuntary celibate. Celibate usually refers to people who choose to not have sex (Cambridge Dictionary,…
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Zero-Sum Thinking
Zero-sum thinking is a mindset in which individuals, groups, and nations view the world as a competitive arena, believing that one person’s success must…
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Workplace Equality
Workplace equality has been defined by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as equal working conditions and treatment at work regardless of gender, race, color,…
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Unionisation
Unionization is the process by which employees form trade unions in various industries. It has been a practice in business and trade since the…
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Sex Work
Sex work has historically been closely associated with discrimination, marginalization, and criminalization. From past centuries to the present day, sex work has always been…
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Overconsumption
In a capitalist society, buying and consuming products is an essential part of daily life. Yet, when consumers purchase products or services in quantities…
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Job Polarization
Job Polarization refers to a labor market phenomenon that has appeared in many countries in recent decades. While the number of middle-income jobs is…
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Housewifization
Traditional gender roles and division of labor have existed since the beginning of human civilization. The development of technology, war, and colonialism conquest expeditions…
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Neurotypical (Neuromajority)
Every brain is different. Neurodiversity includes all forms of neurocognition, as it describes the range of neurocognitive variations across humans (Walker, 2021; Emergent Divergent,…
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Neurodiversity
The term Neurodiversity frames the cognitive and emotional properties characteristic of developmental disorders within the natural expression of human diversity (Masataka, 2017). Highlighting the…
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Gender-Based Violence
Across all social classes, races, ages, religions, and national borders, gender-based violence (GBV) is a major public health and human rights concern (Sanjel, 2015;…
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Androsexual
Androsexuality refers to people who are attracted to masculinity. An androsexual (or androphilic) person might be attracted to anyone with masculine qualities regardless of…
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Tone Policing / Tone Argument
The act of dismissing or reducing someone’s argument based on the way it is expressed, the attitude, the tone used, or the emotions expressed…
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Bourgeoisie
Marxist theory is based on the concept that society is divided into two groups that directly face each other: the bourgeoisie, meaning the middle…
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Reproductive Rights
Reproductive rights are the legal and social rights related to reproduction and reproductive health, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is defined…
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Racialized Beauty Standards
Racialized beauty standards are rooted in racial hierarchies that shape mainstream societal perception of beauty. While diminishing those belonging to non-white ethnic groupings, mostly…
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Intersectionality
Intersectionality is an analytical framework a term that was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) in response to the need to expose how Black women,…
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Data Activism
Data has become an increasingly important aspect of our lives as we use more technology every day. Data activism uses technology and data to…
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Inspiration Porn
Inspiration porn is the representation of disability as inspiration, by objectifying the person with a disability for the benefit of the abled group. In…
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Xenocentrism
Xenocentrism is the term used to describe consumers’ preference for foreign goods over domestic ones, and it is typically motivated by the belief that…
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Gendered Ageism
Ageism refers to negative stereotyping and discrimination based on age (Butler, 1969), while gendered ageism targets older people at the intersection of age and…
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Pink Tax
The umbrella term “pink tax” describes various financial inequalities based on gender. In different contexts it may refer to: 1. The gender wage gap,…
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Aromantic
Aromantic is a romantic orientation that describes those with little to no romantic attraction. The term can be used to describe a specific lack…
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Asexual
Asexual is a sexual orientation referring to those who experience little or no sexual attraction to others. Asexuality can be referred to on its…
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Gynosexual
Gynosexuality, also gynesexuality, is a sexual orientation that describes an attraction to femininity. It is used interchangeably with gynophilia/gynephilia, meaning the love of femininity.…
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Fatphobia
Fatphobia refers to the fear, hatred, and loathing of fat bodies (Stoll et al., 2022). While fatphobia is used more commonly, terms such as…
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“Toxic” Masculinity
Toxic masculinity refers to a perspective that takes behaviors, traits, and norms considered traditionally and stereotypically masculine to an extreme (Edwards, 2020). These socially…
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Queer Theory
Queer Theory is a multifaceted lens that allows exploring how heteronormativity and the homo/hetero binary shape various aspects of our society and personal lives.…
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Queer
Queer is a term used to express a spectrum of sexual orientations and gender expressions that oppose the mainstream. Due to that, Queer portrays…
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Pansexual
Pansexuality refers to the sexual connection or attraction to people regardless of their gender or sexual identity. Gender and sex are not driving forces…
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Demisexual
Demisexuality refers to experiencing sexual attraction or arousal after developing an emotional connection with someone. The term is often found within, but not limited…
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Cisgender
Cisgender, often shortened to “cis,” describes individuals whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth, such as someone assigned male…
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Kink
Kink refers to unusual, unconventional sensual, erotic, or sexual practices, behaviors, or fantasies when viewed by a socially normative, “vanilla” perspective (Rehor, 2015; Van…
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Ethocentrism
Ethnocentrism describes the tendency to view one’s own culture as central and therefore often superior. It involves a preference for one’s own culture –…