What Does ENM on Tinder Mean?

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Ever found yourself swiping right or left through Tinder, running into a possible match and wondering What is an ENM relationship?

ENM stands for Ethical Non-Monogamy or Ethical Non-Monogamous.

Ethical non-monogamy (ENM) is the practice of participating in romantic relationships that are not completely exclusive between two people.

There are many ways these relationships can exist, with variations in the number of partners, the dynamics between them, involvement or not of sexual activity, etc.


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Types of Ethical Non-monogamy

Ethical non-monogamy (ENM) is an ‘umbrella term’ that includes the following:

🟡 Polygamy:

 Involves “being married to multiple partners.”

🟡 Open relationships:

 When “you can sleep with folks outside of your primary relationship or marriage.” Relationships with others tend to be strictly sexual.

🟡 Swinging:

 “When a couple has sex with another couple and/or ‘swaps partners.’”

🟡 Monogamish:

 Relationships that are, “for the most part, monogamous, but allow for little acts of sexual indiscretion (with the partner’s knowledge).”

🟡 Polyamory: 

“The act of having intimate relationships with more than one person at the same time.”

🟡 Polyfidelity:

“A relationship between a group of people where all members are equal partners in the relationship, and no one has sex with or dates people outside the group.”

🟡 Relationship anarchy:

“An approach to relationships, usually non-hierarchal, where there are no set rules or expectations other than the ones that involved partners agree upon.”


Now you know what to expect when matching with someone who says they’re non-monogamous!


If you want to know more about ENM, check out our interview with pleasure expert Rachel Allyn.


Read more about this subject here:

What is Ethical Non-Monogamy?


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