plural incels
: a person (usually a man) who is or identifies as involuntarily celibate and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active
Examples of incel in a Sentence
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Much has been made of the rise of incel culture (involuntarily celibate) but there’s a much broader and moderate feeling of alienation amongst young boys.
—
Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
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
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Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for incel
Cite this Entry
“Incel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incel. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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