Polyamory is the practice of engaging in multiple romantic relationships simultaneously with the informed consent of everyone involved, distinguished from other forms of 📝Consensual Non-Monogamy (CNM) by its emphasis on emotional connection alongside sexual openness.
The word combines the Greek poly (many) with the Latin amor (love). Polyamorous relationships take many structural forms: 📝Hierarchical Polyamory distinguishes between primary and secondary partners, 📝Non-Hierarchical Polyamory rejects such ranking, 📝Kitchen Table Polyamory encourages communal connection among all partners, and 📝Parallel Polyamory keeps relationships independent. The network of interconnected relationships is called a 📝Polycule. What unites these forms is the principle that love is not a finite resource — that caring deeply for one person does not diminish the capacity to care for another.
Polyamory requires deliberate communication infrastructure. Tools like 📝RADAR provide structured check-ins, while concepts like 📝compersion (joy in a partner's other connections) and 📝New Relationship Energy (NRE) give practitioners shared language for navigating the emotional complexity. The practice has gained increasing visibility in academic research, therapeutic discourse, and popular culture, moving from fringe identity to recognized relational orientation.
My hot take: "poly" is "many" and "amory" is "love" — so if you love a friend, an animal, ice cream, AND a romantic partner, you're polyamorous. You could say the same of those who love themselves before loving others.
Resources
- Amory Podcast, amorypodcast.com