I have a lot of niblings. How about you?

@JudyEv (382566)
Rockingham, Australia
April 12, 2026 2:42am CST
There is a person that I see from time to time on our TV and I never know if he/she is male or female. I googled him/her as I was curious and it turns out he/she is gay, non-binary and a dual American and Australian citizen. I’m not judging Rhys Nicholson but I have a bit of trouble with those people who start calling themselves ‘they’, simply because I keep looking for a second or third person. I always expect ‘they’ to be more than one. Anyway, while researching all this, I came across the word ‘nibling’. It seems this is a gender-neutral term now starting to be used in place of ‘nephew’ and ‘niece’. So have you heard of a nibling before? The photo is mine.
18 people like this
15 responses
Anna
@LadyDuck (502812)
• Italy
12 Apr
I never heard nibling to replace niece or nephew. Well in Italy we say "nipote" both for niece and nephew, so we already had a gender-neutral term for both.
5 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Apr
'Spouse' is gender neutral too but that term has been around a long time.
2 people like this
Anna
@LadyDuck (502812)
• Italy
12 Apr
@JudyEv - Spouse is a word I have heard (we say consorte in Italian), but never niblings.
1 person likes this
SIDDI KIMPOLE
@SIDIKIMPOLE (3487)
• Eldoret, Kenya
14 Apr
In my native language, we also have Nephew / Niece neutral (Swahili noun is "mpwa" for both nephew and niece.)
1 person likes this
DE
@DaddyEvil (174707)
• United States
12 Apr
I've never heard the term before but we rarely see any of our family anymore.
4 people like this
DE
@DaddyEvil (174707)
• United States
12 Apr
@JudyEv True, although I'm not sure I'll remember "nibling". I don't have many nieces or nephews left anymore.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
@DaddyEvil I won't be bothering to remember it.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Apr
It's the first time I've come across 'nibling'. Seems a strange word really but then we use 'spouse' to signify husband or wife.
1 person likes this
snowy
@snowy22315 (209177)
• United States
12 Apr
Nope never heard of it. I think all that trans stuff is absurd honestly. Go ahead and do your thing, but don't make me guess what to call you.
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Apr
Fair enough. I believe some are born in the wrong body but so many are just jumping on the bandwagon of what's 'in' at the moment.
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Go Crossbones
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
12 Apr
I have not and I am with you no problem with any of it if it makes people live free, but the terming sure confuses the hell out of me.
2 people like this
Go Crossbones
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
12 Apr
@JudyEv True, keep it simple I always say, people tend to make things more complicated than it needs to be.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Apr
I guess we're just not used to it. We use spouse which is non-gender specific but that's a word we're more used to.
1 person likes this
Juliaacv
@Juliaacv (56396)
• Canada
12 Apr
That is a new term for me. It is difficult to stay on top of the pronouns used and the new ones that they come up with. I am a she/her/hers maybe not very exciting, but at least consistent for my years.
1 person likes this
Juliaacv
@Juliaacv (56396)
• Canada
13 Apr
@JudyEv Personally using the word 'they' is much easier for me than using the word 'she' when it should be a 'he' if you get my drift.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
I can't imagine I'll ever get to the point where I can say 'they' and just mean one individual.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
@Juliaacv I do get your drift. Sometimes I think the world has gone crazy and is getting worse each year.
1 person likes this
DianneN
@DianneN (254926)
• United States
12 Apr
No, I never heard that term before and wouldn’t use it.
1 person likes this
DianneN
@DianneN (254926)
• United States
13 Apr
@JudyEv That seems like hard work, and I think of myself as a nibbler. I nibble food way too much.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Apr
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
I wouldn't use it. We had a nibbler once which was used for cutting corrugated iron. I keep thinking of that rather than nibling.
1 person likes this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (86890)
• United States
13 Apr
I cannot bring myself to say “they is…” “They” is what I’d call myself if I were schizophrenic. I only have one niece.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
I can't get myself about 'they' either. I'm always looking for that second or third person. lol
1 person likes this
Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (136008)
• Marion, Ohio
12 Apr
I had not. I was thinking more of nibbling at food
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
Now that one I can relate to!!
1 person likes this
rakski
@rakski (156775)
• Philippines
12 Apr
Oh. Never heard of the term yet. They should be more than one person
1 person likes this
rakski
@rakski (156775)
• Philippines
13 Apr
@JudyEv True!
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Apr
I agree with 'they'. It's a plural word and seems strange to use it for one person.
1 person likes this
MARILYN
@Marilynda1225 (91169)
• United States
13 Apr
I never heard the term nibling in reference to either a niece or nephew. I do have to agree with your thought when "they" is used and I also expect to see a second or third person. It's just so darn confusing and I wish "they" would come up with a different word to use. I am not judging by any means.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Apr
I suppose it's difficult to come up with a specific word and then get it out into the general conversation.
1 person likes this
Jessica
@JESSY3236 (22287)
• United States
14 Apr
no I never heard of that term before. I agree about the term they.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Apr
I can't see myself ever using 'nibling'. And I would find it hard to use 'they'.
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Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
12 Apr
I am not convined that the world is changing for the better!
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
I've been convinced that it isn't for a while now!
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
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Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (21492)
• London, England
13 Apr
@JudyEv I'm trying not to be too pessimistic!
1 person likes this
Thelma
@thelme55 (79352)
• Germany
12 Apr
I have not heard of nibling.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
It seems a strange word.
1 person likes this
Thelma
@thelme55 (79352)
• Germany
13 Apr
@JudyEv Yes, it is indeed.
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Valentina
@valherma00 (4000)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
14 Apr
I haven't. i was thinking what it was before you wrote it. i also don't understand and kind of don't want to understand those new pronouns.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Apr
I'm with you about the pronouns. It just seems silly to me.
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Valentina
@valherma00 (4000)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
19 Apr
@JudyEv it is silly, it's even too much. i felt bad for mistaking one woman on work for a man but, in my defense, she looked very masculine and wore that kind of clothes.
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BarBaraPrz
@BarBaraPrz (51838)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
12 Apr
The only nibblings I've ever known have been food-based.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382566)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr
We had a tool once called a nibbler. It cut iron sheets without leaving a really rough edge.
1 person likes this