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asexual
[ ey-sek-shoo-uhl ]
adjective
- Zoology, Botany.
- having no organs of reproduction:
In nature, there are numerous examples of asexual plant and animal species.
- independent of sexual processes, especially not involving the union of male and female germ cells:
Asexual reproduction is common among echinoderms such as starfish, basket stars, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers.
- experiencing little or no sexual attraction to other people: Compare graysexual ( def 1 ).
a woman who identifies as asexual.
- not involving sex or sexual feelings; nonsexual: an asexual hug.
an asexual friendship;
an asexual hug.
noun
- a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to other people. Compare graysexual ( def 2 ).
asexual
/ æ-; eɪˈsɛksjʊəl; ˌæ-; eɪˌsɛksjʊˈælɪtɪ /
adjective
- having no apparent sex or sex organs
- (of reproduction) not involving the fusion of male and female gametes, as in vegetative reproduction, fission, or budding
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Derived Forms
- aˈsexually, adverb
- asexuality, noun
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Other Words From
- a·sex·u·al·i·ty [ey-sek-shoo-, al, -i-tee], noun
- a·sex·u·al·ly adverb
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Example Sentences
For example, there are those, referred to as “asexuals” and “aromantics,” who lack interest in sexual and romantic relationships.
Aromantics may have sexual feelings or be asexual, but they do not have romantic feelings.
Data from a 1994 British survey of more than 18,000 people showed 1% of the respondents to be asexual.
Montour said society views blind people as asexual “cherubs” — people who are routinely touched by strangers who want to help them navigate the world when, often, they need no such help.
It’s also worth noting that many asexual folks find representation in Elsa, who just doesn’t seem like she can be bothered with the whole elaborate ritual of dating and marrying and mating.
The ambiance is almost asexual as rockabilly and Motown play in the background.
But whether good or bad, all are light as a soufflé, radiating asexual whiteness in every note.
New York magazine art critic Jerry Saltz described it as “fabulously complex, sexual, asexual, mysterious, powerful, impish.”
His encounter with a female Israeli soldier who seems at first rife for a sexual experience, ultimately proves an asexual one.
So when aging, largely asexual cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester announced her pregnancy, Gleeks barely blinked an eye.
Here they enter red corpuscles as young malarial parasites, and the majority pass through the asexual cycle just described.
Still other plants, mosses and ferns, give rise to two kinds of spores, sexual and asexual.
All of the above means of propagation are asexual and are of importance in our problem of plant breeding.
Asexual, a-seks′ū-al, adj. without sex, once applied to cryptogams—agamic.
Thus I have endeavored to sum up the processes of asexual and of sexual reproduction.
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About This Word
What does asexual mean?
A person who is asexual experiences no sexual attraction to others. Asexual people still experience romantic attraction and may participate in sexual activity.
Asexuality is not the same thing as celibacy or abstinence. It’s not a choice or disorder. It is a sexual orientation that falls on a spectrum, and includes diverse identities, behaviors, and attractions.
What are some other words related to asexual?
affectional orientation
aromantic
bisexual
demisexual
omnisexual
pansexual
sexual orientation
gray-asexuality
Where does asexual come from?
The word asexual combines the prefix a-, meaning “not” or “without,” and sexual, referring to sex. Asexual is first recorded in the late 1700s, originally used in biology to refer to organisms, especially plants, that had no sex organs.
By the 1800s, asexual was referring to organisms that can reproduce without sexual intercourse with another organism. Komodo dragons and hammerhead sharks, for instance, are capable of asexual reproduction.
By the 1860s, asexual moved into the realm of human sexuality as a term for lacking sexual feelings or attraction to someone
A notable organization for the asexuality community is the website AVEN, the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network, launched in 2001, and since then has been representing and advocating for asexual individuals. Into the 2000s, asexual persons have joined LGBTQ activism for the fair and equal treatment of all sexual orientations, including asexuality.
As Rory Gory, Digital Marketing Manager of the LGBTQ crisis resource and help organization The Trevor Project, explains in their article for Dictionary.com on “What Does It Mean To Be Asexual?”: “Not every asexual person experiences their sexuality the exact same way. Asexuality, like many sexual orientations, exists on a spectrum.”
An asexual person may not experience sexual feelings but still can have romantic desires and relationships that do not involve intercourse.
How is asexual used in real life?
Asexual describes a person who identifies as asexual. The fact of being asexual is called asexuality. Like most labels, it is generally considered offensive to refer to an asexual individual as an asexual. Discrimination against asexual people is sometimes referred to as aphobia.
I am on the asexuality spectrum. I am the grey stripe on the flag. I identify as demisexual or grey ace. I am romantically attracted to people regardless of gender. I am sex positive. I am queer. My identity matters. I matter. I refuse to erase myself to make aphobes happy.💜🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/Z2TjA8A7qU
— Elle Rose 💜🤍🖤 (@scretladyspider) May 6, 2020
"Here's what asexuality is and what it isn't, based on resources from Aces and Aros, The Asexual Visibility & Education Network (@asexuality) and The Trevor Project" 💜 https://t.co/iBnlCuAt54
— The Trevor Project (@TrevorProject) October 21, 2019
While many of us experience sexual and romantic attraction similarly, sexual and romantic attraction are separate.
You can be sexually attracted to x gender, but romantically attracted to y gender – or any combination of genders.
— Melissa A. Fabello, PhD (@fyeahmfabello) May 5, 2020
Many asexual individuals call themselves aces, based on a phonetic shortening of asexual. They may use the ace of spades playing card to represent themselves. The asexual flag includes stripes in black (representing asexuality), gray (for those between asexuality and sexuality), white (sexuality), and purple (community). Asexual Awareness Week takes place in the last full week of October each year.
The term allosexual is used in the asexual community for a person who experiences sexual attraction. It’s based on allo–, a prefix meaning “other.”
More examples of asexual:
“[W]e barely see characters admit to not desiring sex, or an asexual person navigating their sexual orientation in an empathetic and thoughtful manner as a gay character coming out would.”
—Michele Kirichanskaya, The Mary Sue, August 2018
“I want people to understand that asexual people are simply that—people. Any age, any gender, any background, any look, these are just people with a different sexual orientation, the one in which they are simply not attracted to anyone.”
—Laia Abril quoted in BuzzFeed, February 2019
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