forbidden words: Mx
Mx
title
Mx (/mɪks/ or /məks/[1][2]) is an English-language neologistic honorific that does not indicate gender. Created as an alternative to gendered honorifics (such as Mr. and Ms.) in the late 1970s, it is the most common gender-neutral title among non-binary people and people who do not wish to imply a gender in their titles.
Etymology
The word was first proposed in the late 1970s. The x is intended to stand as a wildcard character, and does not necessarily imply a “mixed” gender.[6]
from —Wikipedia contributors. (2025, July 2). Mx (title). Wikipedia.
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example sentences: Mx
In December 2020, the Provincial Court of British Columbia, Canada issued guidance to lawyers and litigants about court introductions, calling for court participants, when introducing themselves, to state the pronouns and courtesy title that should be used for them. “Mx.” was one of the titles that participants were invited to use.
In March 2021, Oscar Davies, a non-binary barrister from the United Kingdom, became the first person to use Mx (instead of Mr/Ms) on the board of their chambers.
Although Mx remains uncommon in the United States, in April 2016 it was added to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.
Indian airlines Vistara and AirAsia India, both Tata Group companies, added Mx as a third option for passengers booking flights from June 2022.
In 2025, Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in the USA to limit or avoid a lot of words and expressions, Mx included.
from —Wikipedia contributors. (2025, July 2). Mx (title). Wikipedia.
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Pronounced to sound like mix or mux, the title Mx. (which, like other honorifics, is styled without the period in British English) is used increasingly on various official forms in the UK, including driver’s licenses and banking documents.
Although the earliest print evidence of Mx. is from a 1977 issue of an American magazine called Single Parent, the title has not seen much official or published use in the US. It did, however, appear twice recently in The New York Times: a June 4th article noted Mx. as someone’s preferred honorific, and a June 5th article all about Mx. made it clear that the June 4th use was an exception. The title simply isn’t familiar enough to the newspaper’s readers to be fully adopted.
It’s not clear whether or when Mx. will catch on in the US. The timeline for such developments can be long, as the title Ms. taught us not all that long ago. Coined in 1901, the now-commonplace Ms. wasn’t fully adopted by The New York Times until 1986. Mx. seems to be moving more rapidly—it was added to Merriam-Webster Unabridged in April 2016.
from — Editors of Merriam-Webster. (2023). MX. Gender-Neutral Honorific. In Merriam-Webster.
August 21st, 2025
Hudson Valley, New York
This is one of the words/ phrases you can’t say in the new Trump Regime. See a comprehensive list at the Forbidden Words Project.
image: cease fire © Holly Troy 8.2025
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holly troy ~ sacred folly 
I do enjoy words / that apply to anyone / at all, like “human”
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Holly I love your wonderful way of exposing , however when it comes to pronouns it sends me into fight mode. For me it is just another form of power greed and control. Change is good sometimes when it helps everyone in some way. not when a portion of the population depicts rules that seperate Humanity even more.
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My perspective is this: What a simple way to bridge a gap between people by just calling them what they prefer to be called.
Imagine this: You meet someone called David and you say, “Hi Dave,” and they say, “Hi. Nice to meet you. I prefer to be called David.” And you say, “OK, David. Thanks for letting me know.” End of story.
I see pronouns as a way of people wanting to express their authentic selves with others.
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