Lithromantic (also known as akoiromantic or apromantic) is a romantic orientation on the aromantic spectrum. It describes romantic attraction without the desire for reciprocation.
Lithromantic people often lose romantic interest if there are signs of the interest being reciprocated.
Possible Lithromantic experiences may include:
- Feeling romantic attraction that fades upon being reciprocated
- Feeling fine with being single
- Feelings of suffocation/immense stress when entering a romantic relationship
- Experiencing discomfort upon entering a romantic relationship with a crush
- Loss of interest in potential or actual partners when they romantically initiate
- Fantasizing about romance but preferring it only in theory, not in practice/reality
- The craving for intimacy but then finding it uncomfortable when the intimacy is returned or reciprocated
- Liking the idea of love and relationships but not the idea of yourself in one
- Having a crush on someone and being fine with the possibility that nothing further will come out of it
- Feeling attraction/crushing on those who already are in a relationship with someone, as that could rule out the possibility of them reciprocating your feelings for them
- Not wanting to be in a relationship due to various reasons such as having a responsibility for someone else or the burden of relationships
- Feeling attraction for fictional characters that aren't real (no way to reciprocate feelings)
- Not feeling like you understand/empathize with friends or other people talking about their relationships
Lithromantic people may still be fine/comfortable with being in a relationship, and may be preferable to romance. They just may not desire the feelings back, but they don't always fade (though they might most of the time).
The word "lithromantic," coined by Ian (stopanthropomorphizingme on Tumblr) comes from the Greek word lithos, which means "stone." This is an allusion to the stone sexual identity, which originated with butch lesbians and transmasculine people.[1]
Like with any romantic orientation, lithromantic individuals can identify with any sexual orientation label.
The counterpart of lithoromantic is recipromantic, those who only feel romantic attraction if it's reciprocated.
Lithromantic has several alternative flags.
