queridoa

Queridoa is a neologism coined in the 2020s to serve as a gender-neutral form of the Spanish word for “dear.” It blends the masculine form querido with an ending intended to signal inclusivity, producing a single address that some writers and readers use to avoid gender specification. The term has appeared in online discussions and some speculative-fiction texts as part of broader conversations about inclusive language in Spanish.

Status and usage: Queridoa is not recognized by standard dictionaries and has not achieved broad acceptance in everyday usage. Most Spanish speakers continue to use querido for masculine and querida for feminine. In inclusive writing, writers commonly use quedido/a or other experimental forms, but queridoa remains a niche or theoretical option rather than a normative form.

Etymology and form: The term reflects efforts to create gender-inclusive forms within Romance-language orthography and morphology. If adopted, its use would depend on community conventions and potential guidance from editors, educators, and style guides regarding orthography, punctuation, and pronoun usage.

See also: Inclusive language, gender-neutral language, Spanish orthography.