genderqueer

American  

[jen-der-kweer] / ˈdʒɛn dərˌkwɪər /

Or gender queer,

adjective

1. relating to or having a gender identity that is other than male or female, is a combination of those two genders, or is on a continuum between those two genders.

   She identifies as genderqueer.

2. relating to or having a gender presentation that does not conform to socially defined male or female gender norms.

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noun

1. a person whose gender identity is something other than male or female or whose gender presentation does not conform to socially defined male or female gender norms.

Sensitive Note

See gender ¹.

Etymology

Origin of genderqueer

First recorded in 1995–2000; gender ¹ + queer (in the slang sense “outside the norm of heterosexuality”)

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, queer theory argues that both sex and gender exist on a spectrum and are often fluid, allowing for labels like nonbinary and genderqueer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Then they traced the scars of top surgery, asking their father to sew a line through the chest tissue that helped Man, 25, embody their transmasculine, genderqueer identity.

From New York Times • May 24, 2024

Cervantes now identifies as genderqueer, embracing an umbrella term for gender identities that exist outside the male-female binary.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2023

ArtsWest’s revisitation of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s rock musical about a genderqueer German singer and her romantic and professional tribulations opens June 29.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2023

After Sasha announced they were genderqueer, she asked for clarification.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater