they/them
Non-gendered third person
They/them refers to the third-person plural pronouns used as a singular, gender-neutral alternative to he/him or she/her.
Someone who uses they/them pronouns identifies outside the traditional gender binary or prefers not to specify gender: My friend came out as nonbinary—they use they/them now.
The construction often appears in discussions of pronoun preferences: What are your pronouns? They/them.
One in number
- pluralMore than one
- gender-neutralWithout sex distinction
- neopronounsNewly created personal pronouns
- zeNeologistic third-person pronoun
possessive · subjective · objective · antecedent · referent · agreement · usage · grammar
Unnamed individual
- anyoneUnspecified person
- personHuman individual
- individualOne separate human being
- unspecifiedNot explicitly named
unknown · hypothetical · generic · indefinite · anonymous · faceless · nameless · somebody
Outside male-female categories
- genderqueerOutside the two-category system
- agenderHaving no gender identity
- genderfluidVariable gender identity
- transgenderGender differs from assignment
enby · queer · LGBTQ · coming out · affirming · validating · preferred · chosen
One in number
- ShakespeareElizabethan dramatist and poet
- AustenLiterary family name
- prescriptivismEnforcing linguistic correctness
- descriptivismDocumenting actual language use
Chaucer · linguistic · evolution · usage · traditional · medieval · centuries · documented
Assembled collection of things
- committeeAppointed group for duties
- teamOrganized cooperative unit
- organizationStructured group with purpose
- companyCommercial enterprise or guests
government · institution · board · council · jury · crowd · audience · public
singular
One in number
- pluralMore than one
- gender-neutralWithout sex distinction
- neopronounsNewly created personal pronouns
ze · possessive · subjective · objective · antecedent · referent · agreement · usage · grammar · syntax
someone
Unnamed individual
- anyoneUnspecified person
- personHuman individual
- individualOne separate human being
unspecified · unknown · hypothetical · generic · indefinite · anonymous · faceless · nameless · somebody · whoever
nonbinary
Outside male-female categories
- genderqueerOutside the two-category system
- agenderHaving no gender identity
- genderfluidVariable gender identity
transgender · enby · queer · LGBTQ · coming out · affirming · validating · preferred · chosen · deadname
singular
One in number
- ShakespeareElizabethan dramatist and poet
- AustenLiterary family name
- prescriptivismEnforcing linguistic correctness
Chaucer · descriptivism · linguistic · evolution · usage · traditional · medieval · centuries · documented · precedent
group
Assembled collection of things
- committeeAppointed group for duties
- teamOrganized cooperative unit
- organizationStructured group with purpose
company · government · institution · board · council · jury · crowd · audience · public · society
they/themhe/him
Third-person masculine pronouns
she/her · it · he or she · one · singular they
they/themyou
The person addressed
myself · first person · ourselves · yourself · second person
their, theirs, them, themselves, they