Along with orientation, attraction to certain patterns of the partner's appearance and behavior plays an important role in the sexual life of an individual. Traditionally, there are two such patterns - masculinity and femininity. The "Androphilia" definition is used to denote the attraction to masculinity, while the "Gynephilia" definition is used to denote the attraction to femininity. Also, the "Ambiphilia" definition is used to denote the attraction to both patterns.

Since the aforementioned definitions denote the very phenomenon of such an attraction, to characterize the pattern preference of an individual it's worth deriving the corresponding adjectives - "Androphilic", "Gynephilic" and "Ambiphilic". In this form, these definitions can serve both as an alternative to, and a supplement to the sexual orientation of an individual.

In the case of an alternative use, the specific pattern preference will replace the orientation of the individual. Thus, all that will matter for a particular individual is not the gender, but their partner's masculinity or femininity. For example, a gynephilic man will be interested in feminine partners of either gender.

In the meantime, the use of the pattern preference in conjunction with a sexual orientation will allow to more accurately denote the preferences of the individual in choosing a partner. For example, an androphilic heterosexual woman will only be interested in masculine men.

The following examples describe different individuals, each of whom has different preferences in choosing a partner.
Androphilic woman - a woman interested in masculine partners of either gender.
Gynephilic man - a man interested in feminine partners of either gender.
Ambiphilic man - a man interested in both masculine and feminine partners of either gender.
Androphilic heterosexual man - a man interested only in masculine women.
Gynephilic homosexual woman - a woman interested only in feminine women.
Ambiphilic homosexual man - a man interested in both masculine and feminine men.
Ambiphilic heterosexual woman - a woman interested in both masculine and feminine men.
Gynephilic bisexual woman - a woman interested in feminine partners of either gender.