Incel

Incel (/ˈɪnsɛl/ ^ⓘ IN-sel; a portmanteau of "involuntary celibate"^[1]) is a term associated with a mostly online subculture of people (racially diverse, but mostly white,^[2] male and heterosexual^[3]), who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one, and who may blame, objectify and denigrate women and girls as a result.^[4]^[5]^[6] The incel ideology is characterized by the hatred of women (misogyny) that is often expressed through hate speech or, in certain cases, violence against women.^[7]^[8]^[9]

Originally coined as "invcel" around 1997 by a queer Canadian student, the spelling had shifted to "incel" by 1999, and the term rose to prominence in the 2010s in the aftermath of the misogynistic terrorist acts of Elliot Rodger and Alek Minassian.^[10]^[11]

^ Beever, Jonathan; McDaniel, Rudy; Stanlick, Nancy A. (2020). Understanding Digital Ethics: Cases and Contexts. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-315-28212-1. OCLC 1123184308. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
^
- "'Incels' are not particularly right-wing or white, but they are extremely depressed, anxious, and lonely, according to new research". liberalarts.utexas.edu. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- Ohlheiser, Abby (April 25, 2018). "Inside the online world of 'incels,' the dark corner of the Internet linked to the Toronto suspect". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018.
- Collins, Ben; Zadrozny, Brandy (April 24, 2018). "After Toronto attack, online misogynists praise suspect as 'new saint'". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- Hoffman, Bruce; Ware, Jacob; Shapiro, Ezra (2020). "Assessing the Threat of Incel Violence". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 43 (7): 565–587. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2020.1751459. hdl:10023/24162. ISSN 1057-610X. S2CID 218781135.
- "Online Poll Results Provide New Insights into Incel Community". Anti-Defamation League. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- Wilson, Jason (April 25, 2018). "Toronto van attack: Facebook post may link suspect to misogynist 'incel' subculture". The Guardian. London, England. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- Wood, Graeme (April 24, 2018). "ISIS Tactics Have Spread to Other Violent Actors". The Atlantic. Boston, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- "Violent misogyny found in 'incel' is a form of terrorism, says author". CBC.ca. April 26, 2018. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
^ Cite error: The named reference Beauchamp-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Taub, Amanda (May 9, 2018). "On Social Media's Fringes, Growing Extremism Targets Women". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018.
^ Mezzofiore, Gianluca (April 25, 2018). "The Toronto suspect apparently posted about an 'incel rebellion.' Here's what that means". CNN. Atlanta, Georgia. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
^ "Misogynist Incels". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
^ Zimmerman, Shannon (February 17, 2024). "The Ideology of Incels: Misogyny and Victimhood as Justification for Political Violence". Terrorism and Political Violence. 36 (2): 166–179. doi:10.1080/09546553.2022.2129014. ISSN 0954-6553.
^ Sparks, Brandon; Zidenberg, Alexandra M.; Olver, Mark E. (November 17, 2022). "Involuntary Celibacy: A Review of Incel Ideology and Experiences with Dating, Rejection, and Associated Mental Health and Emotional Sequelae". Current Psychiatry Reports. 24 (12): 731–740. doi:10.1007/s11920-022-01382-9. ISSN 1523-3812. PMC 9780135. PMID 36394688.
^ "The word "incel"". Love Not Anger. October 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
^ Cite error: The named reference Taylor 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Beever_2020-1] Beever, Jonathan; McDaniel, Rudy; Stanlick, Nancy A. (2020). Understanding Digital Ethics: Cases and Contexts. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-315-28212-1. OCLC 1123184308. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2021.

[often-white-citegroup-2] 
"'Incels' are not particularly right-wing or white, but they are extremely depressed, anxious, and lonely, according to new research". liberalarts.utexas.edu. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
Ohlheiser, Abby (April 25, 2018). "Inside the online world of 'incels,' the dark corner of the Internet linked to the Toronto suspect". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018.
Collins, Ben; Zadrozny, Brandy (April 24, 2018). "After Toronto attack, online misogynists praise suspect as 'new saint'". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
Hoffman, Bruce; Ware, Jacob; Shapiro, Ezra (2020). "Assessing the Threat of Incel Violence". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 43 (7): 565–587. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2020.1751459. hdl:10023/24162. ISSN 1057-610X. S2CID 218781135.
"Online Poll Results Provide New Insights into Incel Community". Anti-Defamation League. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
Wilson, Jason (April 25, 2018). "Toronto van attack: Facebook post may link suspect to misogynist 'incel' subculture". The Guardian. London, England. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
Wood, Graeme (April 24, 2018). "ISIS Tactics Have Spread to Other Violent Actors". The Atlantic. Boston, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
"Violent misogyny found in 'incel' is a form of terrorism, says author". CBC.ca. April 26, 2018. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

[3] "'Incels' are not particularly right-wing or white, but they are extremely depressed, anxious, and lonely, according to new research". liberalarts.utexas.edu. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.

[4] Ohlheiser, Abby (April 25, 2018). "Inside the online world of 'incels,' the dark corner of the Internet linked to the Toronto suspect". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 18, 2018.

[5] Collins, Ben; Zadrozny, Brandy (April 24, 2018). "After Toronto attack, online misogynists praise suspect as 'new saint'". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.

[6] Hoffman, Bruce; Ware, Jacob; Shapiro, Ezra (2020). "Assessing the Threat of Incel Violence". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 43 (7): 565–587. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2020.1751459. hdl:10023/24162. ISSN 1057-610X. S2CID 218781135.

[7] "Online Poll Results Provide New Insights into Incel Community". Anti-Defamation League. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2021.

[8] Wilson, Jason (April 25, 2018). "Toronto van attack: Facebook post may link suspect to misogynist 'incel' subculture". The Guardian. London, England. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.

[9] Wood, Graeme (April 24, 2018). "ISIS Tactics Have Spread to Other Violent Actors". The Atlantic. Boston, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.

[10] "Violent misogyny found in 'incel' is a form of terrorism, says author". CBC.ca. April 26, 2018. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

[Beauchamp-2018-4] Cite error: The named reference Beauchamp-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Taub_May_2018-5] Taub, Amanda (May 9, 2018). "On Social Media's Fringes, Growing Extremism Targets Women". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018.

[Mezzofiore-2018-6] Mezzofiore, Gianluca (April 25, 2018). "The Toronto suspect apparently posted about an 'incel rebellion.' Here's what that means". CNN. Atlanta, Georgia. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.

[7] "Misogynist Incels". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 24, 2025.

[8] Zimmerman, Shannon (February 17, 2024). "The Ideology of Incels: Misogyny and Victimhood as Justification for Political Violence". Terrorism and Political Violence. 36 (2): 166–179. doi:10.1080/09546553.2022.2129014. ISSN 0954-6553.

[9] Sparks, Brandon; Zidenberg, Alexandra M.; Olver, Mark E. (November 17, 2022). "Involuntary Celibacy: A Review of Incel Ideology and Experiences with Dating, Rejection, and Associated Mental Health and Emotional Sequelae". Current Psychiatry Reports. 24 (12): 731–740. doi:10.1007/s11920-022-01382-9. ISSN 1523-3812. PMC 9780135. PMID 36394688.

[10] "The word "incel"". Love Not Anger. October 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

[Taylor_2018-11] Cite error: The named reference Taylor 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]