Word.ws English Dictionary

a-spec

/ˈeɪ.spɛk/

a-spec adjective: on, or relating to, the asexual spectrum and/or aromantic spectrum.

Adjective

a-spec

  1. (neologism) On, or relating to, the asexual spectrum and/or aromantic spectrum.
    • A segment of Core could have been about solely the trans community, or the exclusion of bi, pan, and a-spec people from queer spaces […]2017 December 7, Hayley Van Allen, "Where is the LGBTQ+ representation in Scripps core?", in The Scripps Voice, volume XXI, issue 04, page 4
    • However, this article isn’t about what it means, or how it feels to be a-spec: it’s about the erasure (A-rasure?) of a-spec identities.2018 June 2, “A is Not for Ally: Spare a Thought for Invisible Identities this Pride Month”, in The Panoptic, archived from the original on 06 Apr 2020

Noun

a-spec (plural a-specs)

  1. A person on the asexual spectrum and/or aromantic spectrum.
    • “Aspecs [those on the asexual spectrum]^([sic]) can have relationships with anyone. We’re not limited to being exclusively with other aspecs…. There always needs to be communication and establishing boundaries regardless of the relationship. […]” – M2022 April 15, Timaree Schmit, “Reader question: Asexual dating”, in Philadelphia Weekly, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2023
    • This is why events like the Indigenous Aces panel and articles by a-specs from marginalised backgrounds are so important within the larger conversation around a-spec issues.2023, Eris Young, Ace Voices: What it Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 29

Examples of a-spec in a sentence

  • While the SAM was initially created by a-spec people, it can easily be used by people who are not asexual or aromantic.2018 October 27, “Explore the spectrum: Guide to finding your ace community”, in GLAAD, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2020:
  • Asexual representation in games is so sparse as to be virtually non-existent, and some of the few examples that there are reinforce incorrect beliefs about a-spec people.2018 February 15, “Ace Jam created a space for games with asexual characters”, in Rock, Paper, Shotgun, retrieved 06 Apr 2020:

Forms of a-spec

Adjective
alternative formaspec
Noun
plurala-specs

Origin of a-spec

From a- (from asexual and aromantic) + spec, a clipping of spectrum.

Questions about a-spec

What does a-spec mean?
A-spec means on, or relating to, the asexual spectrum and/or aromantic spectrum.
How do you use a-spec in a sentence?
While the SAM was initially created by a-spec people, it can easily be used by people who are not asexual or aromantic.
What part of speech is a-spec?
A-spec can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce a-spec?
A-spec is pronounced /ˈeɪ.spɛk/.

Words near a-spec in the dictionary

  1. A-shirts
  2. a-Si
  3. A-side
  4. A-sides
  5. A-site
  6. a-spec
  7. a-specs
  8. A-State
  9. a-stem
  10. a-stems
  11. A-stories

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: a-spec (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-a-spec.wav.

Cite this entry: “a-spec.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/a-spec. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.