wlw
Wlw (noun) means Women loving women: an umbrella term for women attracted to other women, taking in lesbian, bisexual, pansexual and queer women alike. Example: “The playlist is tagged wlw and sapphic.”
How to Use Wlw
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishShort for women who love women.
Written lower case. It grew up on Tumblr, AO3 and TikTok as a tag, and is used mostly within LGBTQ+ communities. It is deliberately broad, which is why bisexual and pansexual women use it where "lesbian" would not fit.
Its counterpart is mlm, men loving men. Note that mlm also stands for multi-level marketing, so context matters.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The playlist is tagged _____ and sapphic.
Etymology
An initialism of women loving women.
Synonyms
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Related Words
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between wlw and lesbian?
Lesbian means a woman attracted only to women. wlw is broader: it covers any woman attracted to women, including bisexual and pansexual women. Every lesbian is wlw, but not every wlw woman is a lesbian.
What is the difference between wlw and sapphic?
They overlap almost entirely and are often used interchangeably. Sapphic has a literary flavour, from the poet Sappho of Lesbos, while wlw is plainer tagging shorthand from fandom and social media.
What is the male equivalent of wlw?
mlm, meaning men loving men. Be aware that in business contexts mlm means multi-level marketing, an unrelated thing entirely.
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