A word has recently cropped up at the heart of the sexual orientation spectrum: heteroflexible. Popularized in the United Kingdom, notably on the dating app Feeld where he experienced “an increase of close to 200% in 2025 among declared sexualities“, the term describes an orientation that is intriguing. It designates profiles who mainly say they are straight… while leaving a door ajar to other attractions.
A sexuality outside the boxes
This notion has spread beyond the English-speaking world to become part of French vocabulary. Since January 1, 2026, heteroflexible has a dedicated entry in the online dictionary The Internet user. The site defines heteroflexibility as: “Person who habitually has sexual relations with someone of the opposite sex, but who does not forbid himself, from time to time, from a homosexual relationship, that is to say with a person of the same sex“.
Scientific work also confirms the extent of the phenomenon: a study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior showed that “about 15% of American adults describe themselves as primarily heterosexual, but allow themselves to be attracted to people of the same sex“.
How is heteroflexibility experienced in reality?
For many specialists, heteroflexibility is more of a heteroromantic orientation than a new fixed category. As Nathan Brandon, psychologist specializing in LGBTQ+ issues, explains to Men’s Health“for some, this simply means that they are open to new experiences and eager to experiment with their sexuality, while others may find that heteroflexibility is the only way to express their true sexual identity“.
Concretely, heteroflexibility can cover a diversity of experiences:
- A life as a monogamous heterosexual couple with some occasional experiences;
- Openness to relationships with people of the same sex without considering oneself bisexual;
- An attraction or fantasy that focuses on the person more than their gender.
Millennials VS Gen Z: who wins?
Luke Brunning, an academic at Leeds, analyzes this phenomenon in the Daily Mail : “Explosive growth in heteroflexibility suggests curiosity is becoming culturally acceptable, especially among younger users“.
On Feeld, the distribution of heteroflexible profiles shows that they are mainly from Millennials (around two thirds), followed by 18% from Gen Z and 15.5% from Generation X, which illustrates the generational roots of this trend.