Meaning & use
sapiosexual
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableinformal
Finding intelligence the most attractive quality in another person and being drawn to people mainly for their minds.
Grammar: Used after be or before a noun: she is sapiosexual; a sapiosexual attitude.
Patterns
- be sapiosexual
- sapiosexual about something
He calls himself sapiosexual because a good debate is what draws him in.
She wrote that she was sapiosexual in her dating profile.
Being sapiosexual means a long conversation matters more than looks.
nouncountableinformal
A person who is mainly attracted to others because of their intelligence.
Grammar: A countable noun: she is a sapiosexual; many sapiosexuals use apps.
Patterns
- a sapiosexual
As a self-described sapiosexual, he loves chess club.
Sapiosexuals often prefer deep conversations to small talk.
She met another sapiosexual at the book festival.
Word forms
| plural | sapiosexuals |
|---|
Common combinations
- identify as sapiosexual
- Many people identify as sapiosexual on dating apps.
- self-described sapiosexual
- The self-described sapiosexual joined a book club.
- sapiosexual attraction
- Sapiosexual attraction grows through conversation.
- proudly sapiosexual
- He is proudly sapiosexual.
- be sapiosexual
- I think I might be sapiosexual.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intellectual
- Intellectual describes a thoughtful person, whereas sapiosexual describes someone attracted to such people.
- brainy
- Brainy is an informal adjective for clever people and has nothing to do with attraction.
- cerebral
- Cerebral describes things that are mentally focused, but does not mean being attracted to intelligence.
Word family
Commonly confused: sapiosexual or sapient?
sapiosexual vs sapient
Sapient means wise or able to think, and does not involve any attraction.
Practice
Maya says she is ___ because she falls for people who can discuss philosophy for hours.
Choose one answer.
Sapiosexual describes being attracted to intelligence. Introverted describes a personality type, not attraction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sapiosexual”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.