A sigma male is, essentially, an introverted alpha male, offering misguided men a chance to place themselves at the very top of this imaginary hierarchy, without the loud, boisterous personality ...

Fundamentally, [identifying as a sigma male is] no different than trying to understand oneself through the organizing filters of zodiac signs, Myers-Briggs types, Enneagram numbers or Hogwarts houses.

Unlike the alpha male, the sigma male is a loner who values independence, self-confidence, pragmatism, determination, ambition, adaptability and non-conformism.

Calling someone a “sigma male” is actually a term of endearment in very online circles. “What the sigma” in turn is the result of netizens combining these two memes together.