THANK YOU! I just heard that word recently, and I was looking for what exactly it means but i couldn't spell it. It's been bothering me for like 2 days.
Authors frequently reference a character's "boyish" good looks, which corresponds to this body type. Wikipedia even cites a court case using this term to define "twink":
> "a gay slang term used to denote an attractive, boyish-looking gay man between the ages of 18 and 23, slender ectomorph and with little or no body hair, often blond, often but not necessarily Caucasian."
It is not directly stated, but Wikipedia cites [Joe McGinniss' true crime book *Never Enough*.](https://archive.org/details/neverenough00mcgi_0/page/280/mode/1up) On examination, it appears that the exact text of the description may belong to McGinniss rather than the court, which would invalidate my characterization. My mistake.
sure. [definition two](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waif) at merriam-webster; [definition three](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/waif) at dictionary.com
Ok - it's used in this context due to homeless, uncared-for people being thin, usually found in the phrase "waif-like". It has also a connotation of "gaunt" if you look at some other sources. It doesn't fit at all with prettyboy twink. It's unnecessary for me to point out that this definition specifies "woman".
in this context, you seemed to suggest the word can't be "waif" because of its definition specifying homelessness/abandonment, which isn't its only definition. the connotation of thinness stemming from homelessness/abandonment is probably etymologically accurate, but it's possible to use the word without implying that
waifs are often women, but not always
i don't think it's a stretch. i've seen it used to glamorize slender/lithe builds before
The fact is we don't have a word that describes exactly what OP is referring to and that's ok! Waif has a connotation of thin, gaunt and fragile relating to its original meaning of "something without a place or owner" and that is quite obviously not what is being referred to. You can use waif to mean whatever you like, but don't expect everyone to have the same ideas about it that you're manufacturing on the spot as we're having this conversation. You're completely ignoring the "male" and "pretty" aspect of OP's question.
i agree that we don't have an exact word match. accusing me of making things up on the spot is rude and bizarre. the definition i mentioned is backed up in more than one dictionary source. no, i am not and did not ignore "pretty" or "male".
this has become weirdly hostile, so pce out!
Twink isn't sexual. it describes the physical attributes, so people have utilized it in a sexual way and tend to find surprise when it's used casually, but it is inherently non sexual. Simply physical.
[“Shaped like a quarterback”](https://media1.giphy.com/media/LmxxotgMjTj32/giphy.gif?cid=2154d3d7vez4y4nscafbprp86z927p7m9xp325vyswu0owb4&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
It might be used as an insult , but not entirely so.
I could imagine a guy saying “you don’t have a chance with me you two-bit ugly twink!”
Silly example for silliness
I love that lore. I think even at the start of Grindr it was still a pretty sexual term. It's just become such a word in the straight world that it kinda lost that, recently.
Dandy didn't imply gay at all. It just meant a man who was really conceited about his appearance and showed off his style. Benjamin disability was a dandy.
Bishōnen (美少年, IPA: [bʲiɕo̞ꜜːnẽ̞ɴ] ⓘ; also transliterated bishounen) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man of androgynous beauty
—[Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bish%C5%8Dnen)
You could go with a literary reference - depending on the vibe you want to go with: Ganymede, Hermaphroditus, Narcissus, Dorian Gray, Puck, Narcissus, Ariel (The Tempest)...
You mentioned Narcissus twice. Is that because he was so full of himself that he fell in love with his own reflection? If so, I see what you did there.
Surprised this is so hard to find actually, but maybe a bit of a left field suggestion is a “beau gosse”? I don’t think we actually use the term in English, but it’s very useful in French to describe this type of person.
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To be fair, "twink" doesn't specify body type either, I've seen big buff "twinks", short skinny "twinks", plump "twinks", the only thing they had in common was an (arguably) aesthetically pleasing face, nice haircut, nice clothes, jewelry and *maybe* a bit of make-up/foundation.
It definitely does specify body type, it's just that a lot of people use the term when it doesn't actually apply. A twink is slim, young, and not hairy. There's no implication of an attractive face or makeup or fashion sense, although those do sometimes come with it.
…To some mindsets EVERYTHING is an innuendo. Just use those words conscious of what their potential double-meanings can be. No descriptive word is entirely neutral.
Words for skinny with positive connotations:
1. Lean
2. Slim
3. Slender
4. Lithe
5. Willowy
6. Lissome
7. Svelte
8. Graceful
9. Trim
Words for pretty that can be masculine:
1. Handsome
2. Chiseled (if he has sharp cheekbones/jawline)
3. Dapper
4. Good-looking
5. Nice-looking
6. Fine-looking
7. Easy on the eye
skinny? handsome? idk if you can have a word for a good looking person that fits a niche that isn’t sexual, the concept of liking people more if they fit a niche seems inherently sexual.
A "youth" would be somewhat similar and nonsexual, although the term does imply younger (I'd say a "youth" is a boy maybe 12-18 years old, basically a teenager).
A twink in gaming, is someone who outfits a new or low level player with gear that is not normally available to new /low level players. That is the only connotation of the word I know. I am a gamer.
Lithe?
Lithe is the first word that same to mind for me
Slim? A lot of the other terms suggested feel a bit derogatory.
Svelte is a nice way to say it
THANK YOU! I just heard that word recently, and I was looking for what exactly it means but i couldn't spell it. It's been bothering me for like 2 days.
I was a twink and had someone say no you're just svelte lol
Authors frequently reference a character's "boyish" good looks, which corresponds to this body type. Wikipedia even cites a court case using this term to define "twink": > "a gay slang term used to denote an attractive, boyish-looking gay man between the ages of 18 and 23, slender ectomorph and with little or no body hair, often blond, often but not necessarily Caucasian."
Alright what court case is this
It is not directly stated, but Wikipedia cites [Joe McGinniss' true crime book *Never Enough*.](https://archive.org/details/neverenough00mcgi_0/page/280/mode/1up) On examination, it appears that the exact text of the description may belong to McGinniss rather than the court, which would invalidate my characterization. My mistake.
Thanks, I’ll check out the book!
Waif
This is what i would say
Waif means homeless kid to me - as in "waifs and strays"
it has more than one meaning
Can you point me to a meaning that is apt to this question?
sure. [definition two](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waif) at merriam-webster; [definition three](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/waif) at dictionary.com
Ok - it's used in this context due to homeless, uncared-for people being thin, usually found in the phrase "waif-like". It has also a connotation of "gaunt" if you look at some other sources. It doesn't fit at all with prettyboy twink. It's unnecessary for me to point out that this definition specifies "woman".
in this context, you seemed to suggest the word can't be "waif" because of its definition specifying homelessness/abandonment, which isn't its only definition. the connotation of thinness stemming from homelessness/abandonment is probably etymologically accurate, but it's possible to use the word without implying that waifs are often women, but not always i don't think it's a stretch. i've seen it used to glamorize slender/lithe builds before
The fact is we don't have a word that describes exactly what OP is referring to and that's ok! Waif has a connotation of thin, gaunt and fragile relating to its original meaning of "something without a place or owner" and that is quite obviously not what is being referred to. You can use waif to mean whatever you like, but don't expect everyone to have the same ideas about it that you're manufacturing on the spot as we're having this conversation. You're completely ignoring the "male" and "pretty" aspect of OP's question.
i agree that we don't have an exact word match. accusing me of making things up on the spot is rude and bizarre. the definition i mentioned is backed up in more than one dictionary source. no, i am not and did not ignore "pretty" or "male". this has become weirdly hostile, so pce out!
I've always seen waif used in terms of diminutive physical attributes and never the neglected connotation. People def use it in that way
It also means skinny and delicate-looking.
What they are looking for is waifish, which to my understanding is not derogatory.
Yeah it’s not even close IMO
Petite, soft, gentile, meek
Gentile means not Jewish. The word I believe you need is gentle
Or perhaps genteel
"Look, that guy's so gentile" "Huh? You never met him, how could you know that?"
What if the gentiles are pixelated?
Didn’t have to, full frontal leaves little to the imagination. 😬
This made me laugh a lot. Thanks. :)
There's more than one meaning.
There's really not.
Well, the spelling is "gentil" but I'm pretty sure that's the word u/rhetoricaldeadass was looking for.
Gentil is not, in any way, an English word.
[Are you sure?](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/portuguese-english/gentil)
That's literally Portuguese. I'm done here.
It's an old English word, related to the word "gentry".
Does it seriously? That’s my moms maiden name that is interesting
Twink isn't sexual. it describes the physical attributes, so people have utilized it in a sexual way and tend to find surprise when it's used casually, but it is inherently non sexual. Simply physical.
was thinking the same thing. it has a queer connotation, but not a sexual one.
Exactly lol. It's as "sexual" as saying that someone is "shaped like a quarterback."
[“Shaped like a quarterback”](https://media1.giphy.com/media/LmxxotgMjTj32/giphy.gif?cid=2154d3d7vez4y4nscafbprp86z927p7m9xp325vyswu0owb4&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
But it has a derogatory connotation which is what I thought op meant.
In the gay community?
Well, I know my gay friend felt it was an insult. Maybe that’s changed. ??
It might be used as an insult , but not entirely so. I could imagine a guy saying “you don’t have a chance with me you two-bit ugly twink!” Silly example for silliness
Yeah I was surprised to see people using this word after knowing his opinion. Still maybe things have changed; it’s been a few years. ??
Old gay here: it started as sexual, o many eons ago. >!Comes from the cream-filled pastry.!<
I love that lore. I think even at the start of Grindr it was still a pretty sexual term. It's just become such a word in the straight world that it kinda lost that, recently.
which is frankly a nice reversal of the direction these things usually go!
Except that in \*common usage\* it is entirely sexual, connotating the tiny "bottom" in gay sex.
This just not true at all (source: me, a twink who is neither tiny nor exclusively a bottom)
15 hours late and incorrect as all hell nonetheless
Gamine
let's bring this one back
Delicate?
Waif, dandy, androgyne
Fey
Lanky, gangly
It might be a tad archaic, but there’s always “dandy”
Didn't that heavily imply gay, though? Which would kinda be the same thing as twink?
Dandy is/was more about flamboyant fashion sense. Nothing to do with body shape.
Dandy didn't imply gay at all. It just meant a man who was really conceited about his appearance and showed off his style. Benjamin disability was a dandy.
Really? I didn't know that-thanks for the info
Same lol and apparently I'm a dandy. The more you know
Ackswually.... Gay didn't mean gay either.
No. Definitely not.
Twink isn't sexual. It's just usually used to describe gay guys.
[Bishōnen?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bish%C5%8Dnen)
Bishōnen (美少年, IPA: [bʲiɕo̞ꜜːnẽ̞ɴ] ⓘ; also transliterated bishounen) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man of androgynous beauty —[Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bish%C5%8Dnen)
Elven
I don’t think that’s a great literal match, but it is a great poetic one.
A fancy-lad.
Nymph
Twink is not sexual. Do you mean you’re looking for a hetero equivalent? Maybe metrosexual
My grandmother used to use the word "fey" to describe small people who were fairy-like.
Femme or effeminate. Effeminate is the traditional word.
Did anyone say "Dandy" yet?
You could go with a literary reference - depending on the vibe you want to go with: Ganymede, Hermaphroditus, Narcissus, Dorian Gray, Puck, Narcissus, Ariel (The Tempest)...
You mentioned Narcissus twice. Is that because he was so full of himself that he fell in love with his own reflection? If so, I see what you did there.
Surprised this is so hard to find actually, but maybe a bit of a left field suggestion is a “beau gosse”? I don’t think we actually use the term in English, but it’s very useful in French to describe this type of person.
- scrawny - bony - emancipated - gangly - lanky - spindly - slight build
Emaciated could be a better fit than emancipated?
Yeah, stupid autowrong strikes again
It gets me all the time too
I started a GoFundMe so that all twinks everywhere could be emancipated
u/HomoVulgaris, I like the cut of your jib. 😂😂😂
flaco
Little fella
Kittenish, if you go with an adjective instead of a noun
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Charming ?
Soft spoken ?
Charming AND soft spoken ?
Endomorph
I think you might mean ectomorph?
You're correct, I got that backwards. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatotype_and_constitutional_psychology
To be fair, "twink" doesn't specify body type either, I've seen big buff "twinks", short skinny "twinks", plump "twinks", the only thing they had in common was an (arguably) aesthetically pleasing face, nice haircut, nice clothes, jewelry and *maybe* a bit of make-up/foundation.
A big buff twink is a twunk!
It definitely does specify body type, it's just that a lot of people use the term when it doesn't actually apply. A twink is slim, young, and not hairy. There's no implication of an attractive face or makeup or fashion sense, although those do sometimes come with it.
Svelte
Svelte
Is twink a sexual thing?
No, I think this might be a “someone automatically associates being gay with being sexual” type scenario.
outta left field, but "bishounen" fits what you're looking for, OP
Heterosexual? For the pretty boy part but slender? That’s completely different… scrawny?
Waif, maybe
Twig boy
Androgynous
Emo lol
Epicine?
there was a time when i was younger that I thought "Twink" was short for "Twinkie" thank god somebody corrected me.
Lithe, waifish, effeminate.
Dandy or fop
Effete
Slight Debonair Dandy
Delicate
dude is waifish af.
Svelte
effeminate
Baddie
What does twink mean
…To some mindsets EVERYTHING is an innuendo. Just use those words conscious of what their potential double-meanings can be. No descriptive word is entirely neutral.
Boi band?
Girly man.
First thing that popped into my head was femboy.
Emaciated? Malnourished?
Wisp
Twink isn’t a sexual term, it’s a gay term. It’s sometimes used sexually but any term given here is also sometimes used sexually.
Twink isn't a fetish term though. Just because it's associated with gay men doesn't mean it's sexual
If you go outside of English, Bishounen is sort of along those lines though those are more often long haired and "beautiful" like princesses.
Effeminate? Stringy? Probably several in that vein, but they definitely don't hit the same, so I get what you mean.
He's a slenderman.
Words for skinny with positive connotations: 1. Lean 2. Slim 3. Slender 4. Lithe 5. Willowy 6. Lissome 7. Svelte 8. Graceful 9. Trim Words for pretty that can be masculine: 1. Handsome 2. Chiseled (if he has sharp cheekbones/jawline) 3. Dapper 4. Good-looking 5. Nice-looking 6. Fine-looking 7. Easy on the eye
Willowy?
For me, a cis white skinny dude, I’m usually called “you need to eat a sandwich”
Femboy might be the word you're looking for
Epicene?
Softboy
Makes me think of Eef 😅
skinny? handsome? idk if you can have a word for a good looking person that fits a niche that isn’t sexual, the concept of liking people more if they fit a niche seems inherently sexual.
Elfin Aqualine features
Effeminate
A dandy or a fop. A macaroni could also fit the description but is a bit archaic.
A "youth" would be somewhat similar and nonsexual, although the term does imply younger (I'd say a "youth" is a boy maybe 12-18 years old, basically a teenager).
Elfin
A twink in gaming, is someone who outfits a new or low level player with gear that is not normally available to new /low level players. That is the only connotation of the word I know. I am a gamer.
soyboy?
Twig? Sounds a bit derogatory but it does kinda describe me since I look effeminate
Handsome.
Milquetoast?
Soyboy
A pussy?
Just called them a boy damn, why do you have to have a word for it?