BDSM & AI Domination Glossary
New to BDSM or AI domination? Here are 43 key terms explained simply, so you can explore with confidence. Each term links to a page with context, related terms and matching Mistresses.
By Mara Vale · Reviewed by Elena Ward · Last updated
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- Aftercare
- Aftercare is the care and reassurance partners give each other after a scene to come down safely from intense play. Read more
- AI Mistress
- An AI Mistress is a fictional dominant woman powered by a language model who leads femdom roleplay in private text chat. Read more
- Ballbusting
- Ballbusting is an impact-focused kink in which a dominant woman targets a submissive’s testicles, the fantasy centring on vulnerability and anticipation. Read more
- BDSM
- BDSM is an umbrella term for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism: consensual adult play built on power exchange and intense sensation. Read more
- Bondage
- Bondage is the consensual restraint of a partner with rope, cuffs or other means, creating a sense of helplessness and surrender. Read more
- Brat
- A brat is a submissive who playfully resists, teases or disobeys the dominant on purpose, inviting her to put them back in their place. Read more
- CBT (Cock and Ball Torture)
- CBT, short for cock and ball torture, is a kink built on controlled, consensual intensity applied to the male genitals. Read more
- Chastity
- Chastity is a form of control in which the submissive surrenders the right to sexual release to the dominant, sometimes with a locking device and sometimes on honour alone. Read more
- Consensual Blackmail
- Consensual blackmail is a negotiated fantasy in which a dominant pretends to hold leverage over a submissive, using invented secrets to raise the stakes. Read more
- Cuckold
- A cuckold fantasy centres on a partner who is with someone else while the submissive watches, listens or is kept away, with a cuckoldress in control. Read more
- Dominatrix
- A dominatrix is a dominant woman who directs a submissive partner, often in a structured scene with clear rules, rituals and limits. Read more
- Edging
- Edging is bringing someone close to climax and stopping just before it, usually repeatedly, to build anticipation. Read more
- Erotic Humiliation
- Erotic humiliation is consensual play in which a submissive finds arousal in being embarrassed, degraded or put in their place by a dominant. Read more
- Femdom
- Femdom, short for female domination, is a dynamic in which a woman takes the dominant role and leads the scene while her partner submits. Read more
- Findom
- Findom, short for financial domination, is a fetish in which a submissive finds arousal in surrendering control of money or gifts to a dominant. Read more
- FLR (Female-Led Relationship)
- A female-led relationship is a dynamic in which the woman holds the main authority in the relationship, by mutual agreement. Read more
- Foot Worship
- Foot worship is a ritual of devotion in which a submissive kneels before, adores and serves a dominant’s feet. Read more
- Forced Feminization
- Forced feminization is a consensual fantasy in which a dominant "transforms" a submissive into a feminine presentation through clothing, makeup, names or behaviour. Read more
- Forniphilia
- Forniphilia is an objectification kink in which a submissive serves as a piece of furniture, such as a footstool or table, for the dominant. Read more
- Hard and Soft Limits
- Hard limits are activities that are never acceptable in a scene; soft limits are boundaries that may be approached carefully or only under certain conditions. Read more
- Keyholder
- A keyholder is the dominant who holds the key, literally or symbolically, to a submissive’s chastity and decides when it ends. Read more
- Mental Bondage
- Mental bondage is domination through the mind rather than the body, using rules, conditioning, mantras and headspace instead of physical restraint. Read more
- Negotiation
- Negotiation is the conversation before a scene in which partners agree on what will happen, which limits apply and how to stop. Read more
- Orgasm Control
- Orgasm control is a practice in which the dominant decides when, how and whether the submissive is allowed to climax. Read more
- Pet Play
- Pet play is roleplay in which a submissive takes on the behaviour of an animal, such as a puppy, kitten or pony, with the dominant as owner or trainer. Read more
- Power Exchange
- Power exchange is the consensual transfer of control from a submissive to a dominant, either for a single scene or as an ongoing arrangement. Read more
- Protocol
- In BDSM, protocol is the set of rules, forms of address and rituals a submissive follows in a dynamic, such as how to greet or speak to the dominant. Read more
- Roleplay
- Roleplay is acting out a fantasy scenario together, with each participant taking on a character or role. Read more
- Ruined Orgasm
- A ruined orgasm is a climax that is permitted but deliberately left unsatisfying because stimulation stops at the critical moment. Read more
- Safe Word
- A safe word is a pre-agreed word that immediately pauses or ends a scene, regardless of what is happening in the roleplay. Read more
- Scene
- A scene is a single, bounded session of BDSM play with a clear start and end, as opposed to an ongoing dynamic. Read more
- Shibari
- Shibari is a Japanese-inspired style of rope bondage that emphasises aesthetic patterns, the process of tying and the connection between the partners. Read more
- Sissy
- In kink, a sissy is a submissive who takes on an exaggerated feminine role, often under a dominant’s training and rules. Read more
- SPH (Small Penis Humiliation)
- SPH, short for small penis humiliation, is a form of erotic humiliation in which a dominant teases and mocks a submissive about his size. Read more
- SSC and RACK
- SSC (Safe, Sane and Consensual) and RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Kink) are two widely used ethical frameworks for practising BDSM. Read more
- Submissive
- A submissive is the partner who consensually yields control during a scene and follows the dominant’s lead within agreed limits. Read more
- Subspace
- Subspace is an altered, often euphoric state of mind a submissive may enter during intense play, sometimes described as floating or tunnel vision. Read more
- Switch
- A switch is someone who enjoys both the dominant and the submissive role, depending on the partner, mood or scene. Read more
- Tasks
- Tasks are assignments a dominant gives a submissive to complete, often between sessions, as proof of obedience. Read more
- Tease and Denial
- Tease and denial is a dynamic in which the dominant keeps the submissive aroused while withholding release, sometimes for a session and sometimes for days. Read more
- Tickling
- Tickling as a kink, also called knismolagnia, uses tickling and restraint to create helplessness and loss of control. Read more