Demiromantic

Demiromantic describes someone who only develops romantic attraction after building a deep emotional connection with a person. Where many people can feel a crush or romantic spark quickly, a demiromantic person needs established closeness and trust before those feelings appear, if they appear at all. The term sits on the aromantic spectrum and mirrors demisexuality, which describes the same conditional pattern for sexual rather than romantic attraction. A person can be demiromantic and any sexual orientation, or demiromantic and demisexual together. The word grew out of asexual and aromantic online communities in the 2000s and 2010s, giving people language for attraction that is real but slow to form and rooted in emotional intimacy.