bisexuality

American  

[bahy-sek-shoo-al-i-tee, -seks-yoo-] / ˌbaɪ sɛk ʃuˈæl ɪ ti, -sɛks ju- /

noun

1. sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of more than one gender, sometimes understood to include attraction to one's own sex or gender and at least one other sex or gender.

2. the state of being sexually attracted to people of more than one gender, sometimes understood to include attraction to one's own sex or gender and at least one other sex or gender.

3. Biology.

   1. (of a species) having two distinct sexes.

      In these plants, bisexuality recently evolved from an ancestral unisexual condition.

   2. having both male and female sexual organs present in one individual.

      Bisexuality occurs in about 50% of the red sea bream's juvenile population.

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bisexuality Cultural  

1. Sexual activity with, or sexual attraction to, members of both sexes.

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Usage

Does bisexuality involve attraction to only two genders? See bisexual.

Etymology

Origin of bisexuality

First recorded in 1840–50 bisexuality for def. 3, and in 1890–95 bisexuality for defs. 1, 2; bi- ¹ ( def. ) + sexuality ( def. ); from German Bisexualität bisexuality for defs. 1, 2

Example Sentences

Better build quality and rustproofing had helped raise it to nine by 2000.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: Premium build quality and audio make this speaker worth considering, even if you’re not already in the Sonos ecosystem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

They test and retest the data for quality and build quality and risk guardrails into their mapped workflows, instead of hoping for the best.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Tesla has earned a reputation among automotive critics and knowledgable consumers for build quality issues.

From Salon • Mar. 20, 2025

But the scale of profits made by PFI operators, and the build quality of some sites, have faced widespread criticism.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2023