Source
American Psychological Association
Inclusive Language Guide (2nd ed.)
Access posture
About
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. Its Inclusive Language Guide, first published in 2021 and revised as a second edition in October 2023, is an EDI resource for psychologists, researchers, students, and communicators. The 51-page guide defines general equity concepts (bias, discrimination, equity, marginalization, oppression, privilege) and then works through identity categories — age and ageism, body size and weight, disability and ableism, neurodiversity, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation and gender diversity.
Its scope reaches well beyond clinical psychology: the disability section in particular supplies clear glossary definitions of disability, ableism, accessibility, and universal design, and the guide’s treatment of person-first versus identity-first language is one of the more careful in the corpus. The guide states explicitly that “language evolves over time” and that it is neither exhaustive nor definitive.
Access
The second edition is freely available as a PDF on APA’s site (linked above) and the URL is live as of the last check. APA’s reproduction notice permits the material to be “reproduced and distributed for noncommercial purposes only, provided that acknowledgment is given to the American Psychological Association and/or the material is reproduced in its entirety.”
The commons holds a private preservation copy for citation verification. Because APA’s notice already permits noncommercial redistribution with attribution, the host posture here is conservative rather than required — quotes are kept inside the fair-use margin and the original is linked for the authoritative version.
Earlier note: an interim summarized extraction (via WebFetch, April 2026) stood in for this source while direct download was blocked by APA’s anti-bot layer; it was replaced with the full archived PDF and a clean text extraction on 2026-05-26.
Publication details
Version history
- 2021 edition Current canonical
First edition.
- 2023 edition
Second edition (current). Updated to reflect evolving language and research around equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Terms citing this source
- Ableism Use
“Stereotyping, prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory behavior, and social oppression toward people with disabilities to inhibit their rights and well-being. …”
— Disability glossary, ableism entry
- Accessible Use
“Accessibility is achieved when people with disabilities can ‘acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services’ as people who do not have disabilities, in ‘an equally effective and equally integrated manner with substantially equivalent ease of use.’”
— Disability glossary, accessibility entry
- Addict Avoid
“Term to avoid: addict. Suggested alternatives: person who injects drugs / person with substance use disorder.”
— Disability/health terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Ageism Use
“Stereotyping and discrimination against individuals or groups based on their age, regardless of whether the targeted individual or group is younger or older. Ageism may take many forms, including prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory practices, or some institutional policies and practices that perpetuate stereotypical beliefs. …”
— Age glossary, "ageism" definition
- Agender Use
“Refers to a person who does not identify with or experience any gender. Agender is different from nonbinary because many nonbinary people do experience gender" (PFLAG, 2022, Agender definition).”
— Glossary, "agender" definition
- Alcoholic Avoid
“alcoholic … person with alcohol use disorder”
— Bias-free language: substance use / mental health terms table (avoid → use)
- Ally Use with care
“Allyship is not a label you give yourself. How you can serve as an ally is defined and determined by the community you are advocating for.”
— Inclusive Language Guide, "ally/allies" entry
- Antisemitism Use
“Prejudice against, hostility toward, or hatred of Jews. … It is important to spell "antisemitism" without a hyphen (for more, see the explanation for the appropriate spelling of antisemitism; Anti-Defamation League, n.d.).”
— Glossary entry, "antisemitism"
- Arab Use
“When writing about people of MENA descent, state the nation of origin … In all cases, it is best to allow individuals to self-identify…”
— Glossary: American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (AMENA)
- Autism Use
“In some cases, as with the Deaf community and autistic community, it is appropriate to use the preferred identity-first language of the community until you can learn an individual's preference. …”
— Person-First and Identity-First Language section
- Classism Use
“The assignment of characteristics of worth and ability on the basis of actual or perceived social class and the attitudes, policies, and practices that maintain inequality on the basis of class. … Classism serves to define and reinforce social class groups. …”
— Socioeconomic Status glossary, "classism" definition
- Colonialism Use
“Colonization requires the dehumanization of peoples who are Indigenous to an area so that their land is stolen, their culture is erased, and peoples are eliminated for the economic benefit of empire building.”
— Glossary: decolonization / colonization
- Colored Avoid
“The terms “Negro,” “colored,” and “Afro-American” are outdated, and their use is generally inappropriate…”
— African American/Black entry
- Convict Avoid
“Term to avoid: prisoner / convict. Suggested alternative: person who is/has been incarcerated.”
— “Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative” table, person-first language section
- Crazy Avoid
“Term to avoid: crazy. Suggested alternatives: person living with a mental illness / person with a preexisting mental health disorder.”
— Mental-health terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Cripple Avoid
“Use of pictorial metaphors, negativistic terms, and slurs … cripple … person with a physical disability”
— Disability section, "pictorial metaphors, negativistic terms, and slurs" two-column table
- Deaf Use
“Identity-first language is often used as an expression of cultural pride … In some cases, as with the Deaf community and autistic community, it is appropriate to use the preferred identity-first language of the community until you can learn an individual's preference. …”
— Disability section, person-first vs. identity-first language
- Differently Abled Avoid
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … differently abled … person who has a disability … disabled people's expressed preferences regarding identification supersede matters of style.”
— Inclusive Language Guide, Disability table (Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative)
- Disability Use with care
“Language should be selected with the understanding that the individual's preference supersedes matters of style. If you are uncertain about how a person identifies, it is recommended that you ask their preference.”
— Person-First and Identity-First Language section
- Disadvantaged Use with care
“the poor → people whose incomes are below the federal poverty threshold … Many people find the terms "low-class" and "poor" pejorative. Conversely, class solidarity exists in "poor people's movements." …”
— Socioeconomic Status, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative" table
- Discrimination Use
“The unjust and differential treatment of members of different identities … and other groups at the individual and institutional or structural level. … Identities can be actual or perceived; for example, a person may be discriminated against for a perception of disability or other marginalized status.”
— Glossary: discrimination
- Elderly Avoid
“Term to avoid: the elderly. Suggested alternative: older adults. … Avoid language that promotes stereotypes that "other" older adults. However, please note that in certain cultures, the term "Elder" is considered an honorific.”
— Age terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Equity Use
“An ongoing process of assessing needs, correcting historical inequalities, and creating conditions for optimal outcomes by members of all social identity groups …”
— Glossary, "equity" entry (citing APA, 2021c, p. 12)
- Ethnicity Use with care
“African American and Black are not always interchangeable; African American refers to the ethnicity, whereas Black is a racial group/category.”
— Race, Ethnicity, and Culture chapter — African American/Black entry
- Female To Male Avoid
“female to male… assigned female at birth (AFAB)… male to female… assigned male at birth (AMAB)”
— p. 33, table — Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative
- Gender Binary Use with care
“The belief that sex is binary and that sex determines gender (Hyde et al., 2019)… Empirical evidence affirms that gender is a nonbinary spectrum (Hyde et al., 2019). Inclusive language should reflect and respect gender diversity.”
— Definitions entry: gender/sex binary
- Gender Identity Use
“A person's psychological sense of their gender. … Gender identity applies to all individuals and is not a characteristic of only transgender or nonbinary individuals. Gender identity is distinct from sexual orientation…”
— Gender identity definition
- Gender Nonconforming Use with care
“Umbrella term for individuals with gender identities outside the man–woman binary … or who do not follow gender stereotypes. Use the terms people use to call themselves … the preferred term in the LGBTQ+ community is usually “gender nonconforming” (but check with the individuals …).”
— Glossary entry: gender nonconforming (GNC)/gender expansive
- Gender Use with care
“The spectrum of masculinity, femininity, gender expansive, and nonbinary status that includes expression, identity, behavior, and sociocultural constructions. … Sex usually refers to biological features … whereas gender is "a set of socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate" …”
— Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity → "gender" entry, p. 29
- Ghetto Avoid
“ghetto/the ghetto → underresourced area. … It also has roots in antisemitism. The colloquial use of the term "ghetto" to describe others is rooted in classism and racism.”
— Socioeconomic Status, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative" table
- Handicapped Avoid
“Term to avoid: handicapped. Suggested alternative: person with a physical disability.”
— Disability terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Hermaphrodite Avoid
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … hermaphrodite … intersex”
— Inclusive Language Guide, sexual orientation/gender two-column term table
- Homosexual Avoid
“The term “homosexual” is outdated and should not be used to describe a person’s sexual orientation.”
— Sexual orientation and identity entry
- Implicit Bias Use with care
“An attitude, of which one is not consciously aware, against a specific social group, also known as implicit prejudice or implicit attitude. Implicit bias is thought to be shaped by experience and based on learned associations between particular qualities and social categories, including race and/or gender.”
— Glossary, "implicit bias" entry
- Injury Avoid
“suffers from or is afflicted with [condition]”
— Terms to Avoid table, disability section
- Insane Avoid
“Term to avoid: insane. Suggested alternative: person with a preexisting behavioral health disorder.”
— Mental-health terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Indigenous Use
— Summary line 45 of archived markdown (WebFetch summary, not verbatim archive)
-
“The complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect—especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups—to produce and sustain complex inequities.”
— Glossary / Definitions of Terms — intersectionality
-
“The collection of policies, practices, and procedures of societal institutions—such as educational institutions, government, health care, employers, housing, financial institutions, the arts, entertainment and media—that marginalizes and subjugates nondominant racial groups in a given society.”
— p. 23, Glossary → institutional racism
- Islamophobia Use
“Prejudice, negative sentiments, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims. Islamophobia may be based on ideas about Islam as a religion and on ideas about Muslims as a cultural and ethnic group. Islamophobic ideas portray Islam and Muslims as a threat to non-Muslims. …”
— Glossary entry, "Islamophobia" (citing Berntzen & Rambøl, 2020)
- Lame Avoid
“lame … boring … mundane … uncool”
— Ableist language avoid/replace table
- Little Person Use with care
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … midget … little person … person of small stature … dwarf … having dwarfism (Little People of America, 2021)”
— p. 18, Ableist terms and phrases table
- Mental Illness Use
“Term to avoid: mentally ill. Suggested alternative: person living with a mental illness.”
— Disability terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Negro Avoid
“The terms "Negro," "colored," and "Afro-American" are outdated, and their use is generally inappropriate (APA, 2020b, 2022a).”
— p. 18, Race → African American / Black entry
- People With Disabilities Use with care
“The discussion of person-first versus identity-first language was first applied to issues regarding people with disabilities. … Language should be selected with the understanding that the individual's preference supersedes matters of style. If you are uncertain about how a person identifies, it is recommended that you ask their preference. …”
— Person-First and Identity-First Language
- Poor Avoid
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … COMMENT … the poor … people whose incomes are below the federal poverty threshold … Many people find the terms “low-class” and “poor” pejorative. Conversely, class solidarity exists in “poor people’s movements” …”
— Socioeconomic Status section, terms-to-avoid table ("the poor" / "poor people" row)
-
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … asylum … psychiatric hospital/facility”
— Inclusive Language Guide, p. 9, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative" table
- Pronouns Use
“Do not use the term 'preferred pronouns' because this implies a choice about one's gender. Use the term 'pronouns' or 'identified pronouns' instead. … use the singular 'they' to avoid making assumptions about an individual's gender.”
— Notable guidance, gender pronouns entry
- Prostitute Avoid
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … prostitute … person who engages in sex work … sex worker (abbreviated as SWer)”
— "Socioeconomic status" table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Racism Use with care
“A system of power that structures opportunity and assigns value to people based on their ancestry and phenotypic properties … It encompasses interpersonal interactions involving racial discrimination, cultural imagery, and harmful stereotypes of people of color and macrolevel policies and practices that systematically disadvantage people of color …”
— Glossary, "racism" entry
- Retarded Avoid
“Term to avoid: mentally retarded. Suggested alternative: child with a birth impairment.”
— Disability terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
-
“Refer 'to an enduring disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions to nonbinary people, women, or men…' The term 'homosexual' is outdated and should not be used to describe a person's sexual orientation.”
— Sexual Orientation glossary, 'sexual orientation and identity' definition
- Slavery Use with care
“slave / person who is/was enslaved … For more information on person-first and identity-first language, please refer to the APA bias-free language guidelines for writing about disability.”
— Person-first vs. dehumanizing language table, p. 10
- Special Needs Avoid
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … special needs … person with a disability … Use of person-first and identity-first language rather than condescending terms”
— Disability section, "Term to avoid" table — "special needs" row
- Suicide Use with care
“"Commit" implies crime or sin. Do not describe suicide attempts as "successful," "unsuccessful," or "failed." Instead, say "survived a suicide attempt"…”
— Bias-free language table, Suicide row
- Tranny Use with care
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … tranny … transgender person … Some people may use terms to describe themselves and others that may be perceived as pejorative but are empowering for those individuals and their communities. "Tranny" or "queer" are examples …”
— Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity section, avoid/alternative table, "tranny" row
- Systemic Racism Use
“The collection of policies, practices, and procedures of societal institutions … that marginalizes and subjugates nondominant racial groups in a given society. Also institutionalized racism, systemic racism. …”
— Glossary: institutional racism
- Transgendered Avoid
““Transgendered is a dated term that suggests a point in time when a person ‘became’ transgender, which diverges from the lived experiences of most transgender people” (National Institutes of Health, 2023, Transgender, trans definition).”
— Sexual orientation and gender diversity table: transgendered → transgender
- Transition Use
“Refers to “the process—social, legal, and/or medical—one goes through to affirm one’s gender identity”… “There is no one way to transition; the word means something unique to each individual” (PFLAG, 2022, Transition definition).”
— Sexual orientation and gender diversity definitions: transition
- Tribe Avoid
“When writing about Indigenous Peoples, use the names that they call themselves. In general, refer to an Indigenous group as a 'people' or 'nation' rather than as a 'tribe.'”
— Notable guidance → Indigenous peoples
- Transvestite Avoid
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … transvestite … transgender people”
— Inclusive Language Guide, Term-to-Avoid / Suggested-Alternative table (gender and sexual identity section)
- Victim Avoid
“Term to avoid: AIDS victim. Suggested alternative: person with AIDS.”
— Disability terms table, "Term to Avoid / Suggested Alternative"
- Wheelchair Avoid
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … wheelchair-bound … person who uses a wheelchair … confined to a wheelchair … wheelchair user”
— Disability section, "Term to avoid / Suggested alternative" table
- White Supremacy Use
“The ideological belief that biological and cultural Whiteness is superior, as well as normal and healthy, is a pervasive ideology that continues to polarize the United States and undergird racism …”
— Glossary: White supremacy (p. 28)
- Working class Use
“Many people find the terms "low-class" and "poor" pejorative. Conversely, class solidarity exists in "poor people's movements" and many individuals proudly identify as "working class."”
— Socioeconomic Status, comment on the "the poor" avoid-table row