# Synonym for "Furry' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455 "2011-06-14T17:04:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/1 "2011-06-14T17:04:07Z")
> **["Anthropomorphism" antonym?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=430099)** > > Is there a reasonable antonym for anthropomorphism? (The ascribing of non-human, animal or inanimate traits onto human beings) A Google search suggests that it’s not, but I thought somebody here might know. A question from this thread: Is there a synonym for “Furry” as in: giving animal like characteristics to a human? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/2 "2011-06-14T17:07:04Z")
Anthropomorphism. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/3 "2011-06-14T17:20:09Z")
theriomorphism ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/4 "2011-06-14T17:35:23Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Anthropomorphism. I think that’s the opposite of what the OP is looking for, since anthropomorphism is giving human characteristics to animals/objects. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/5 "2011-06-14T20:45:02Z")
Animalistic? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/6 "2011-06-14T21:20:04Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > theriomorphism nailed it ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/7 "2011-06-15T00:37:52Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > theriomorphism Since it’s specifically to humans, rather than everything in general, wouldn’t it be anthropotheriomorphism? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/8 "2011-06-15T00:57:18Z")
Freak ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/9 "2011-06-15T16:12:46Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > Freak I don’t make fun of your fetishes. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/10 "2011-06-15T16:32:30Z")
Often “attractive”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/11 "2011-06-15T16:49:28Z")
“Zoanthropy”, but you can also be more specific like “lycanthropy”, “ailuranthropy”, or (my personal favorite) “teuthropy” (a were-squid). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/12 "2011-06-15T17:21:11Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I don’t make fun of your fetishes. I make fun of my own fetishes, thank you very much. Who better to understand just how absurd they actually are? (Disclaimer: “Furry” is not one of my interests, though I do not feel it is any more intrinsically silly than any other given hobby.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/13 "2011-06-16T18:40:36Z")
Soft? ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/14 "2011-06-16T19:11:10Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I don’t make fun of your fetishes. ‘Freak’ is a very subjective word and in the sphere of human sexuality often one man’s peccadilloes may seem bizarre to next man. That said if there is any objective standard of freakishnes then furries fall well inside it. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/15 "2011-06-17T05:51:49Z")
> [@These are my own pants](#): > > . . . That said if there is any objective standard of freakishnes then furries fall well inside it. Tricky, since the furry community itself is incredibly diverse. It can be as mild as the Playboy Bunny – an ordinary woman wearing fake ears – all the way to full-blown bestiality. It’s hard to fit one bell curve “inside” another…and both “furry” and “freaky” are very broad bell-shaped curves. Trinopus P.S. I almost named “furry” fandom! It was (according to animation historian Fred Patten) named by Craig Hilton (who does the “Doc Rat” online comic strip.) At the same time, I was calling it “fuzzy” fandom. Missed it by that much! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/16 "2011-06-17T13:04:17Z")
Oh, goody. I get to be the one to share the Geek Hierarchy: [http://www.ifanboy.com/images/ifanboy/geekchartbig.gif](http://www.ifanboy.com/images/ifanboy/geekchartbig.gif) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/17 "2012-01-20T05:33:38Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > …“teuthropy” Free advice: wear black on the 25th. See, if you’re a were-squid, you might change at the full moon. And have an ink accident. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/18 "2012-01-20T05:52:39Z")
Isn’t there some tentacle-porn thing in Japan, with origins way before Manga? Not that there’s anything wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/synonym-for-furry/585455/19 "2012-01-20T07:26:24Z")
yep, 1814 > **[The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_of_the_Fisherman's_Wife)** > > The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (Japanese: 蛸と海女, Hepburn: Tako to Ama, "Octopus(es) and the Shell Diver"), also known as Girl Diver and Octopi, Diver and Two Octopi, etc., is a woodblock-printed design by the Japanese artist Hokusai. It is included in Kinoe no Komatsu ('Young Pines'), a three-volume book of shunga erotica first published in 1814, and has become Hokusai's most famous shunga design. Playing with themes popular in Japanese art, it depicts a young ama diver entwined sexually with...