heterosexuality
Americannoun
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sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of the other binary gender.
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the state of being sexually attracted only to the other binary gender.
noun
Etymology
Origin of heterosexuality
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These dynamics are not exclusive to monogamy or heterosexuality.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
“It made me think about my own appreciation for the experience of male heterosexuality and how much it’s been commodified.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Taylor acknowledges that heteropessimism, a term used by Asa Seresin in a 2019 piece in The New Inquiry, isn’t the same as actually denying or refusing to engage with heterosexuality.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
“Being LGBTQ, having those labels, does not remove your stupidity, just like heterosexuality does not remove your stupidity,” she told Vanity Fair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025
On leaving the university his heterosexuality asserted itself normally.
From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 Sexual Inversion by Havelock Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
