Apothiromantic (also known as antiromantic, a romance-repulsed aromantic, nonromantic, etc.) describes someone who gets uncomfortable/disgusted by the thought or feelings of romance. Some aromantics may feel this way but may not want to use this label. Some apothiromantics may have crushes yet still feel disgusted/uncomfortable by the thought and feelings of romantic love. [1]
This is a more common label amongst aromantic people, although it has many different names.
Apothiromantic flag
Apothiromantic redesign
Like with any romantic orientation, apothiromantic individuals can have any sexual orientation.
Related Terms[]
This term is related to apothiroflux and apothiflux, with the main difference being that apothiromantic individuals are generally always disgusted by romance, while in apothiroflux individuals, this feeling fluctuates (hence the 'flux' suffix). This label is also usually for romance (which is the main difference between it and apothiflux). The original flags of apothiromantic and apothiroflux also share a color palette, as well as the black X symbol. This term is also related to all the "apothi" terms, such as apothigender, apothiaroace (also known as apothirose), and apothisexual. These mean being repulsed by the concept of gender, being repulsed by both romance and sex, and being repulsed by sex.
Coining, Etymology, and Flag Meaning[]
It is unknown who coined this term, and when, although it's likely that it was coined by the willow system, as the previously mentioned related labels were. "Apothi" is a prefix meaning "repulsed". It comes from the Greek word "apothisan", which translates to "pushed back".
The alternative redesign has the following meanings:
"Green is the opposite of red and pink, which are colors typically associated with romance, and thus the rejection of those things. It is also represents healing from the shame we often feel as romance repulsed people. The off-white represents being considered ‘off’ or unusual, while the circle represents wholeness in spite of that. Brown represents strength in the face of relentless romance, in our independence as people rejecting things that even resemble romance, and peace with one’s own romance repulsion."
The redesign was created by Tumblr user star-allos.