plural incels
: a person (usually a man) who regards himself or herself as being involuntarily celibate and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active
The term "incels" emerged from a Reddit group in which tens of thousands of users, most of them young men, commiserate about their lack of sexual activity—many of them placing the blame on women.—
Josh O'Kane
Josh O'KaneIn recent years, a number of these men have identified as so-called incels, short for involuntary celibates, an online subculture of men who express rage at women for denying them sex and who frequently fantasize about violence and celebrate mass shooters in their online discussion groups.—Julie Bosman et al.
Julie Bosman et al.Examples of incel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The boy had been actively exploring incel culture online.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
But rather than a semi-autobiographical—and intensely personal—black comedy like creator-star Richard Gadd’s Reindeer, Adolescence is a harrowing drama about the effects of incel culture and the misogynistic manosphere on kids who can’t even imagine growing up without social media.
—Judy Berman, Time, 3 June 2025
Many of these users also mentioned being autistic, in keeping with prior research showing a relatively high share of people with autism in incel communities.
—ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
But a subsequent police investigation into his internet history revealed that Prosper was fascinated with mass murder events like Sandy Hook and the Virginia Tech shooting — killings that are idealized on some incel forums.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2025
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Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
But rather than a semi-autobiographical—and intensely personal—black comedy like creator-star Richard Gadd’s Reindeer, Adolescence is a harrowing drama about the effects of incel culture and the misogynistic manosphere on kids who can’t even imagine growing up without social media.
—Judy Berman, Time, 3 June 2025
Many of these users also mentioned being autistic, in keeping with prior research showing a relatively high share of people with autism in incel communities.
—ArsTechnica, 30 May 2025
But a subsequent police investigation into his internet history revealed that Prosper was fascinated with mass murder events like Sandy Hook and the Virginia Tech shooting — killings that are idealized on some incel forums.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incel
Cite this Entry
“Incel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incel. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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