Polyamory

The practice of having multiple consensual, ethical romantic or sexual relationships at the same time. Polyamory comes from the Greek "poly" (many) and Latin "amor" (love) — literally, "many loves."

Polyamory is part of ethical non-monogamy (ENM): all partners know about and consent to the arrangement. It is not cheating — cheating is deception; polyamory is transparency. It also differs from open relationships (which may allow sex outside the partnership but not other romantic relationships) and swinging (which is usually casual and sex-focused).

Polyamorous relationships take many shapes: hierarchies, kitchen-table polyamory (where partners are friends), solo polyamory (where individuals remain autonomous), and relationship anarchy (which rejects ranking relationships). Polyamory requires strong communication and boundaries. It's not for everyone — and that's fine.