Alterous

//ˈɒltəɹəs// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Pertaining to or characterized by alterity (otherness, the entity in contrast to which an identity is constructed); other. not-comparable

    "The appeal from things is an appeal to abandon oneself to things, to give oneself to alterous relations, and therefore to make of oneself a gift, […] How to celebrate things in their alterity becomes the ethical question waiting for an answer."

  2. 2
    Pertaining to or characterized by an attraction to someone which is intermediate between platonic and romantic. not-comparable

    "These attractions might include, but are not limited to: sexual, romantic, platonic, aesthetic, and alterous attractions."

Example

More examples

"The appeal from things is an appeal to abandon oneself to things, to give oneself to alterous relations, and therefore to make of oneself a gift, […] How to celebrate things in their alterity becomes the ethical question waiting for an answer."

Etymology

From or related to alter(ity) + -ous.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.