This is under construction. Slurs and controversial words are in “quotes.” See also transgender glossary and transgender acronyms.
Please note that any gendered term can become a slur when it conflicts with someone’s gender identity. For instance, man is not a slur, but it becomes a slur when used to describe someone who does not identify as a man. Using gender-neutral language like person instead is the best way to avoid this potential problem.
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ace [abbreviation] (adjective): asexual
admirer [slang] (noun): someone who is attracted to transgender people. Used to describe someone whose sexual orientation leans towards people who are gender expansive, and who may be attracted to such a person based on their combination of sex characteristics, or is attracted to the very essence of gender in that person, regardless of their combination of genitals or secondary sexual characteristics.
“aunt TIF” [slur] (noun): a conservative trans man who sides with cisgender people on certain issues, especially the concept of “biological sex.” Some trans men describe themselves as biological females or trans-identified females (TIFs). For similar trans women, see “uncle TIM” (a play on the anti-Black pejorative uncle Tom).
“autoandrophilia” [jargon] (noun): a controversial disease, best described as “a woman’s paraphilic tendency to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of oneself as a man.” Considered by some to be a motivation for transition in some young trans men. Sometimes abbreviated AAP. Adjectival autoandrophilic. Please see “Autoandophilia”: A disputed diagnosis for details on the controversy.
“autogynephilia” [jargon] (noun): a controversial disease, best described as “a man’s paraphilic tendency to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of oneself as a woman.” Considered by some to be a motivation for transition in some trans women, especially later-transitioning women. Sometimes abbreviated AGP. Adjectival autogynephilic. Please see “Autogynephilia”: A disputed diagnosis for details on the controversy.
beat (verb): to put on makeup. Also an adjective for expert application of makeup: “Her face was beat for the gods.”
bi [abbreviation] (adjective): bisexual
bind (verb): to cover the chest area with a binder, usually to conceal chest feminization.
“biogirl” also “bio-girl” [slang] (noun): a non-trans woman. Some do not consider this a preferred term (see “genetic girl“), because it implies a trans person has no biological basis for identifying as female.
bioguy also bio-guy [slang] (noun): a non-trans man. Some do not consider this a preferred term, because it implies a trans person has no biological basis for identifying as male.
“blanchtard” [slur] (noun): someone who agrees with Ray Blanchard on transgender issues, especially his views on paraphilia. Portmanteau of Blanchard + retard.
boi [slang] (noun): a term used for people who express masculinity outside heteronormative or cisgender identities:
- A boyish lesbian
- A submissive butch in the BDSM community
- A young or recently out trans man
- A young or gender diverse bisexual or gay person
“booger queen” [slur]: An unattractive drag queen, often intentionally unattractive.
boots [slang] (adverb): very much
boy mode [slang] (noun or verb): presenting in a “masculine” gender role: “I worked in boy mode while I finished my electrolysis.” As a verb, usually styled boymode: “He’s been boymoding everywhere but work.”
boymoder [slang] (noun): someone who presents in a “masculine” gender role.
“brick” [slur] (noun): a derogatory term for someone who does not “pass” or isn’t accepted as female.
“brickhouse” [slur] (noun): a derogatory term for gatherings where trans attendees do not “pass.”
busted [slur] (adjective): messy
camp [slang] (noun): failed seriousness, often in art or appearance, that can be simultaneously enjoyed and derided. Adjective campy. In 20th century usage, it was sometimes used with the article a: “The whole night at that bar was a camp!”
“chaser” [slur] (noun): short for “tranny chaser,” someone primarily or exclusively attracted to transgender people who also objectifies them. Many people who are considered “chasers” basically see trans people as interchangeable and part of their sexual script, rather than as potential life partners. They often project their fantasies onto trans people in a way that can feel creepy and objectifying. Most trans-attracted people are respectful and kind, so “chaser” is a slur for those who often have self-hatred about their attractions.
“chicks with dicks” [slur] (noun): another term from pornography used to describe transwomen. Considered highly offensive.
cis [abbreviation] (adjective): cisgender, aka not transgender: “He thought I was a cis woman even though I was at a transgender event.” Cis is a Latin prefix meaning the opposite of trans.
cishet or cis-het [abbreviation] (adjective): cisgender heterosexual. Someone who is not transgender who identifies as straight.
clit [slang] (noun): genitals of a transfeminine person.
clock [slang] (verb): to recognize someone who is not “passing” to you: “I got clocked in the grocery store by a toddler.”
crossdreamer [slang] (noun): a person who dreams about expressing their gender differently but can’t do so in the ways they want to. A value-neutral and non-pathologizing term of self-identity.
“cunty” [slang] (adjective): a compliment among some that means you look like a non-transgender woman, e.g., very feminine or very beautiful: “Your makeup has you looking positively cunty.” Often considered highly offensive, as it derives from slang for vagina.
deadname [slang] (verb): to use someone’s old name (dead name), especially if it is done maliciously. See deadnaming.
deep stealth [slang] (noun): “passing” at a level where one’s trans status is not known by anyone they interact with on a daily basis, esp. a sex partner.
“Dermablend girl” [slur, rare] (noun): someone with poor makeup skills, especially someone trying to cover facial hair shadow with heavy concealer like Dermablend.
“desist” [slang] (verb): to stop, especially to stop expressing or identifying as a gender not assigned at birth. Often used to describe behavior of minors. Originally used to describe stopping of criminal behavior. A controversial concept because it frames gender identity and expression as a binary, not a spectrum.
“detransition” [slang] (verb): to shift one’s gender expression and possibly gender identity after a previous shift. A controversial concept because it frames gender identity and expression as a binary, not a spectrum.
“dickgirl” [slang] (noun): a trans woman in pornography with top surgery or development and no bottom surgery. Often used in relation to pornographic futanari anime.
dilate (verb): to use a vaginal stent or dilator to maintain one’s vagina after vaginoplasty.
doll [slang] (noun): a beautiful trans woman.
“dolls with balls” [slur] (noun): a term from pornography for trans women who have not had bottom surgery.
“dragzilla” [slur] (noun): a derogatory term for someone who does not “pass” or isn’t accepted as female.
dude out [slang] (verb): to be read while making a feminine presentation: “I got duded out on the street by some kids.”
egg [slang] (noun): someone who is unaware, in denial, or has not come out about their gender identity.
electro [abbreviation] (noun): electrolysis.
en drab [slang]: not wearing preferred clothing, especially when dressed as a male.
en femme [slang]: dressed as a female.
enby, also nb [slang] (adjective): non-binary.
endo [abbreviation] (noun): endocrinologist.
eunuch (noun): a eunuch has had their testicles removed.
femboy, also femboi [abbreviation] (noun): feminine boy, especially someone who identifies as a cisgender boy: “I think the Femboy Hooters meme is hilarious, but I got in trouble for calling a trans girl a femboy online.”
“fephe” or “fifi” [slang, rare] (abbreviation): female phenotype, or having a feminine appearance despite “male genes.” Few consider this a preferred term, because it implies a trans person has no biological basis for identifying as female.
fetish [informal] (noun): an interest, often sexual, in something atypical.
“fish” or “fishy” [slang] (adjective):
- a derogatory term used by some to refer to non-transgender women. Often considered highly offensive in this context, as it derives from the purported smell of women’s vaginas: “That cold fish of a waitress gave us bad service because we are trans.”
- a compliment among some that means you look like a non-transgender woman, e.g., very feminine or very beautiful: “Your makeup has you looking pure fish.”
flawless (adjective): someone whose appearance is impressive.
full time or full-time (adjective): living consistently all day every day in one’s chosen gender.
fujoshi [Japanese] (noun): someone who enjoys a genre of erotic anime involving young gay men, popular with some transmasculine and gender diverse people. See fujoshi / fudanshi.
fudanshi [Japanese] (noun): someone who enjoys a genre of erotic anime involving young gay men, popular with some transmasculine and gender diverse people. See fujoshi / fudanshi.
futanari [Japanese] (noun): a genre of erotic anime depicting people with exaggerated breasts and penises (aka dickgirls). Sometimes abbreviated futa.
gaff: a device used to secure tucked male genitalia in place to make the area appear female.
gag [slang] (verb): to show extreme jealousy: “I gagged when I saw how good she looked.” Adjective gagging, capable of causing jealousy: “She is absolutely gagging now that she had her nose done.”
gatekeeping (noun): The practice of controlling access to health services via restrictive models of care.
“gender critical” [jargon] (noun): a term proposed as a value-neutral way to describe people who are critical or unaccepting of transgender people or issues.
genderfuck [slang] (noun): someone who deliberately appears visibly gender variant or rejects gender roles.
“gender nazi” [slur, rare] (noun): (1) a derogatory term for rigid transitioners or caregivers (e.g., “gatekeepers”) who advocate a restrictive model of care.
“genetic girl” [slang] (noun), sometimes abbreviated “GG,” used as a term to describe non-trans women (as opposed to TG). Often considered derogatory.
“girlcock” [slang] (noun), a transfeminine person’s penis, especially one changed by hormone use.
“girldick” [slang] (noun), a transfeminine person’s penis, especially one changed by hormone use.
girl juice [slang] (noun): injectable feminizing hormones.
girl mode [slang] (noun or verb): presenting in a “feminine” gender role: “I worked in girl mode while I saved for top surgery.” As a verb, usually styled girlmode: “She’s been girlmoding everywhere but work.”
girlmoder [slang] (noun): someone who presents in a “feminine” gender role.
gorge (slang): abbreviation for gorgeous
groin job [slang, rare] (noun): bottom surgery.
grrl [slang] (noun), also gurl or grr: a term used for people who express femininity outside heteronormative or cisgender identities:
- A femme lesbian
- A dominant femme in the BDSM community
- A young or recently out trans woman
- A young or gender diverse bisexual or lesbian person
“guys in disguise” [slur] (noun): “masculine”-appearing people in “feminine” clothing.
“GW” [slang] (noun): genetic woman, sometimes used as a term to describe non-transgender women. Often considered derogatory.
“gynandromorphophilia” [jargon] (noun): a disease that claims attraction to transgender people is a mental disorder. See Gynandromorphophilia: a disputed diagnosis.
“gynemimetophilia” [jargon] (noun): a disease that claims attraction to transgender people is a mental disorder.
“hard” [slur] (adjective): unattractive or not “passing.”
“Harry Benjamin Syndrome” [jargon] (noun): a disease proposed by people who view being transgender as an illness.
“HBSer” [slur] (noun): a person who identifies as having “Harry Benjamin Syndrome.” Used dismissively by critics of this proposed disease.
herbals [slang] (noun): dietary supplements purported to have feminizing or masculinizing effects. Most have no clinical proof they work as claimed.
“homosexual transsexual” [jargon] (noun): a controversial term suggested by conservative 20th-century sexologists for trans people who identify as straight. Sometimes abbreviated HSTS.
“hon” [slur] (noun): a person whose gender transition has not helped them “pass” or be attractive. Sometimes used with modifiers like voicehon for someone whose voice does not “pass,” or framehon whose body size does not allow them to “pass.” It comes from the cliché, “You look great, hon,” which is often used by older transitioners who do not “pass.”
“hunty” [slang] (noun): Portmanteau of honey and cunt.
“husstuss” [slang] (noun): a joke pronunciation of HSTS, an acronym for the deprecated term “homosexual transsexual.” Used ironically,
“jocks in frocks” [slur] (noun): “masculine”-appearing people in “feminine” clothing.
juice [slang] (noun): injectable hormones.
junk [slang] (noun): gender-neutral term for genitals, used more frequently by transfeminine people.
kiki (verb): to get together for fun. Also a noun: “Let’s have a kiki when you’re back in town.”
“ladyboy” [slang] (noun): a transgender woman, especially a Thai woman, where the term is often a rough translation of kathoey.
“larper” [slur] (noun): Someone pretending to be a gender minority or presenting an inauthentic gender role. From LARP, an acronym for live-action roleplaying.
LesBiGaTr: Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender. An overarching term for anyone outside gender norms.
lewks [slang] (noun): alternate spelling of looks.
life [slang] (noun): great enjoyment: “That song is giving me life!”
lipo [abbrevation]: liposuction
look [slang] (noun): a specific aesthetic, usually a combination of makeup, clothes, hairstyle. and attitude.
ma’am [slang] (verb): To be gendered as feminine, usually when you want to be: “I got ma’amed at the store today.”
malefailing [slang] (noun): to be gendered as feminine while attempting to present in a masculine gender role.
“Mary Kay girl” [slur, rare] (noun): someone with poor fashion or makeup skills.
misgender (verb): to use a pronoun that someone does not identify with, especially intentionally.
mones [abbreviation]: hormones
mug [slang] (noun): face: “She sure beat her mug tonight.”
Mx. [abbreviation] gender-neutral honorific equivalent of Mr. and Ms.
my T [slang] (noun): my trans identity, also my history, my legend, my situation, my deal, my function: “I don’t tell anybody my T.”
“natal“ (adjective): Literally “born,” used by some to exclude trans people from the definition of femininity. See also “woman-born woman.“
necronym [slang] (noun): someone’s old name (dead name). See deadnaming.
“newhalf” [slang] (noun): A trans woman, especially a Japanese trans person, as the word is associated with nyūhāfu.
“non-op” [abbreviation] (adjective): Non-operative, someone who does not plan to have surgery, especially bottom surgery. Many feel that categorizing by surgical status is derogatory.
orch, orchie or orchy [abbreviation] (noun): orchiectomy
otokonoko [Japanese] (noun): people assigned male at birth who have a culturally feminine gender expression.
outie [slang] (noun): genitals of a transfeminine person.
pack (verb): to put a genital prosthetic in one’s clothes to create the shape of a penis and other external genitalia.
part time (adjective): someone who does not express their gender full time, usually because they are not out at work.
“pig in a wig” [slur] (noun): an unattractive person wearing a wig, especially a trans woman who does not “pass.”
“post-op“ [abbreviation] (adjective): post-operative, or had surgery, especially bottom surgery. Sometimes used as an objectifying noun by those who are attracted to transgender people: “Post-ops don’t interest me at all.” Many feel that categorizing by surgical status is derogatory.
“pre-op” [abbreviation] (adjective): pre-operative, or has not had surgery, especially bottom surgery. Sometimes used as an objectifying noun by those who are attracted to transgender people: “I only like pre-ops.” Many feel that categorizing by surgical status is derogatory.
pshrink [slang] (noun): therapist.
psych [abbreviation] (noun): a psychologist or psychiatrist: “I got my psych letters.”
“poonbro” [slur] (noun): a transmasculine person with a vagina. Poon is a slang term for vagina.
“pooner” [slur] (noun): a transmasculine person with a vagina.
pump [slang] (verb): to be injected with silicone, a cheap but often illegal way to change your body shape. Also adjective pumped.
punk [slang] (verb): to be recognized as transgender, esp. by a non-trans person: “Somebody punked me at the bar last night.”
pussy [slang] (noun): femininity: “She is serving pussy on a platter with that look!” Often considered highly offensive, as it derives from slang for vagina.
pussy stunting [slang] (noun): when a trans woman is acting sexy in public or has an intimate encounter with someone without disclosing she is trans. Popularized by Nikita Dragun.
read [slang] (verb): 1. to be recognized as transgender, esp. by a non-trans person. 2. to insult someone, as in, “I had to read her after she was acting shady.”
“real girl” [slur]: a cisgender woman. Considered highly offensive.
realness (noun): from ball culture, where participants would dress in aspirational categories (like runway realness or executive realness). Realness is a subversive version of “passing,” a way to show that if participants had the opportunity, they could be one, because they can look like one.
repfuel [slang, abbreviation] (noun): short for repression fuel, something a person uses to repress their interest in changing their gender expression. Repfuel is often media of trans people who are unattractive or do not “pass.”
repressor [slang] (noun): a person who is fighting the wish to change their gender expression.
“Roger” [slang, rare]: A trans woman who does not “pass” and has given up trying to pass.
“rough” [slur] (adjective): unattractive or not “passing.”
serve [slang] (verb): to present a look that makes a statement: “She is serving flawless beauty tonight.”
shade [slang] (noun): a kind of subtle insult. Adjective shady. “She threw shade at me when I showed up in that busted wig.”
“shemale” [slur] (noun): a sexualized term popularized in pornography for a transgender woman who has not had bottom surgery. Often considered highly offensive. Also “she-male.”
“shim” [slur] (noun): a person whose gender is unclear. Portmanteau of “she” and “him.”
sickening [slang] (adjective): impressive enough to cause jealousy.
sil [abbreviation] (noun): silicone, a substance sometimes illegally injected into the hips, breasts and face, usually to make the appearance more feminine.
sir [slang] (verb): To be gendered as masculine, usually when you don’t want to be: “I got sirred at the store today.”
sis [slang] (noun): sister. Sometimes said ironically (“Hey sis!”), as it is a cliché term among later transitioners who do not “pass.”
sissification [slang] (noun): Erotic roleplaying a feminine gender role, sometimes called genderplay. Participating in sissy subculture may also include other kinds of roleplaying like ageplay or animal roleplay. It may also include elements of control and consent, such as submissiveness, “forced” or unconsented feminization, and hypnosis.
“sissy” [slang] (noun):
- a person, especially a child, whose “feminine” appearance and behavior goes against the “masculine” gender role they are supposed to perform. Considered offensive by some.
- a sissy in the kink community with erotic or autoerotic interest in feminization.
“skin transvestite” [slur] (noun): an unattractive trans person, especially a trans woman who seeks medical procedures for erotic reasons instead of for their gender identity and expression. Often used to imply the person is not a “real transsexual.”
“sluts with nuts” [slur] (noun): a term from pornography for trans women who have not had bottom surgery.
“sniffer” or “transie-sniffer” [slur] (noun): someone primarily or exclusively attracted to transgender people who also objectifies them, especially a man seeking trans women
spill the T or spill the tea [slang] (verb): to have your identity divulged by someone: “Someone I used to work with spilled my T at my new job.” Also can mean to share a secret.
spook [slang] (verb): to identify someone when they are not “passing.” See also read.
stealth [slang] (adjective): “passing” to the extent that most people do not know you are trans.
stealth mode [slang] (noun): living stealth.
stent (noun): a medical term for a dilator.
“TERF” or “terf” [jargon] (noun): originally an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, a term proposed as a value-neutral way to describe feminists who are critical or unaccepting of transgender people or issues. It morphed into shorthand for any gender critical person or idea and is usually used as an accusation or insult. Most people who would be described as TERFs consider it a slur and prefer other terms like “gender critical” to describe their views. Sometimes humorously pluralized as terves.
throw shade [slang] (verb): to insult. See also read.
“TIF” [jargon] (acronym): gender critical slang for trans-identified female, which they use for trans men as a way to misgender them. See also aunt TIF.
“TIM” [jargon] (acronym): gender critical slang for trans-identified male, which they use for trans women as a way to misgender them. See also uncle TIM.
titty skittles [slang, rare] (noun): estrogen pills, a kind of feminizing hormone.
“tomboy” [slang] (noun):
- a person, especially a child, whose “masculine” appearance and behavior goes against the “feminine” gender role they are supposed to perform. Considered offensive by some.
trachea shave or trache shave: a surgical throat feminization procedure for removing cartilage.
“trancel” [slur] (noun): a person who frequents toxic online communities and blames trans people for their problems. Trancels are often trans-attracted and/or wish to transition but fear rejection. Many have a deep and abiding hatred or contempt for some or all trans people. Portmanteau of trans + incel (an abbreviation for “involuntary celibate”).
“tranner” [slang] (noun): a term used by some trans people to describe other trans people. Often considered a slur if used by people outside the community.
“trannie” [slang] (noun): a term used by some trans people to describe other trans people. Often considered a slur if used by people outside the community.
“tranny” [slang] (noun): a term used by some trans people to describe other trans people. Often considered a slur if used by people outside the community.
“tranny-chaser” [slur] (noun): someone primarily or exclusively attracted to transgender people who also objectifies them. Many people who are considered “chasers” basically see trans people as interchangeable and part of their sexual script, rather than as potential life partners. They often project their fantasies onto trans people in a way that can feel creepy and objectifying. Most trans-attracted people are respectful and kind, so “chaser” is a slur for those who often have self-hatred about their attractions. Also “transie-chaser.” Sometimes abbreviated to “chaser.”
transbian [abbreviation] (noun): transgender lesbian. Portmanteau of trans + lesbian
transfan [slang] (noun): someone who is attracted to transgender people.
transfeminine [jargon] (adjective): Gender identity or expression that incorporates femininity. Sometimes trans feminine.
“transie” [slang] (noun): a term used by some trans people to describe other trans people. Often considered a slur if used by a non-transgender person.
transmasculine [jargon] (adjective): Gender identity or expression that incorporates masculinity. Sometimes trans masculine.
“transmedicalist” [slur] (noun): someone who thinks of being trans as a medical condition. Sometimes abbreviated as the adjective “transmed.”
“transtrender” [slur] (noun): someone who allegedly identifies as transgender because it’s trendy. Usually used as an accusation.
“trap” [slur] (noun): a trans person, especially one who is attractive. The term emerged from Star Wars‘ Admiral Ackbar line, “It’s a trap.”
“trender” [slur, abbreviation] (noun): short for “transtrender.”
“triple T” or “TTT” [slang, rare] (adjective): trannier than thou. Someone who acts as if they are better or more authentic than other trans people.
“troon” [slur] (noun): a person, especially a “masculine” woman, who gets misgendered. May be a portmanteau of trans + goon.
“truscum” [slur] (noun): someone who thinks they are a “true” trans person with a medical condition, and others are not.
“trutrans” [slur] (noun): someone who thinks they are a “true” trans person with a medical condition, and others are not.
tuck: [slang] (verb): to conceal penis and testicles by tucking them between the legs.
tucute: [slur] (noun): a person who believes gender dysphoria or a medical diagnosis is not necessary to be transgender.
twink [slang] (noun): a young, “feminine” person who usually identifies as gay and male.
“uncle TIM” [slur] (noun): a conservative trans woman who sides with cisgender people on certain issues, especially the concept of “biological sex.” Some trans women describe themselves as biological males or trans-identified males (TIMs). The slur is a play on the anti-Black pejorative “uncle Tom“). For similar trans men, see “aunt TIF”
unclockable [slang] (adjective): Describes someone who is “passing” so well they are accepted without question or suspicion in their chosen gender. See also clock.
“woman-born woman” or “womyn-born womyn“: [jargon] (noun): a term used by some to describe cisgender women, as a way to exclude transgender women.
woodworking [slang] (noun): “passing” to the extent that most people do not know you are trans.
work, also werk, werq [slang] (verb): make the most of something: “Girl, you are working that look.” Also an interjection: “Yaaaas, werk queen!”
zap [slang] (verb): to get unwanted hair removed, esp. with electrolysis.
Additional resources
RationalWiki (rationalwiki.org)
- TERF Glossary (list of slurs and biased jargon)