affectional orientation
[ uh-fek-shuh-nl awr-ee-uhn-tey-shuhn, ‐en‐ ]
/ əˈfɛk ʃə nl ˌɔr i ənˈteɪ ʃən, ‐ɛn‐ /
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noun
one's natural preference for a romantic partner of one gender or the other, or the absence of gender preference in a romantic relationship; one’s aromantic, biromantic, heteroromantic, homoromantic, or panromantic identity.
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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Also called ro·man·tic o·ri·en·ta·tion .
Compare sexual orientation.
Origin of affectional orientation
First recorded in 1965–70
Words nearby affectional orientation
affectation, affected, affecting, affection, affectional, affectional orientation, affectionate, affective, affective disorder, affective fallacy, affective psychosis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021