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An aromantic is a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others. People identifying as aromantic can also experience romance in a way otherwise disconnected from normative societal expectations (for example due to feeling repulsed by romance, or being uninterested in romantic relationships.) Where alloromantic people have an emotional need to be with another person in a romantic relationship, aromantics are often satisfied with friendships and other non-romantic relationships. What distinguishes romantic relationships from non-romantic relationships is the romantic intent or lack thereof. This means that the outward expression of a relationship (for example existence of actions such as holding hands, kissing, etc.) can be misleading as to its type. Aromantic people may or may not enjoy activities that are often seen as romantic (e.g. kissing) or be uncomfortable with romance, be single or have a partner or be married - those are individual characteristics that vary between aromantic people.

The aromantic attribute is usually considered to be innate and not a personal choice, just as the lack of sexual attraction is innate to asexuals. It is important to note that aromantic people do not lack emotional/personal connection, but most simply have no instinctual need to develop connections of a romantic nature. Aromantics do not differ from alloromantics in needs of empathetic support, but these needs can be fulfilled in a platonic way.

Most aromantic individuals are involved in, and enjoy, devoted relationships with another person, but these relations are often close friendships, naturally reflecting the closeness of the two individuals and not a purposely initiated monogamous separation as is often found in romantic couples. Aromantic people may also have relationships that go beyond the cultural norms for a friendship and are non-romantic. Sometimes those relationships are called queerplatonic relationships, because they queer (or go against norms of) platonic relationships. Aromantics may experience squishes which are the aromantic or platonic equivalent of a romantic crush.

Like all romantic identities aromantic people can have any sexual orientation.

See also

External links

Romantic orientation
Aromantic · Biromantic · Demiromantic · Gray-romantic · Heteroromantic · Homoromantic · Lithromantic · Panromantic · WTFromantic