demisexual

American

[dem-ee-sek-shoo-uhl] / ˌdɛm iˈsɛk ʃu əl /

adjective

noting or relating to a person who is sexually attracted only to people with whom they already have an emotional bond.

noun

a person who is sexually attracted only to people with whom they already have an emotional bond.

Etymology

Origin of demisexual

First recorded in 2005–10; demi- ( def. ) + sexual ( def. )

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.

Her description of herself as demisexual got a lot of viewers wondering what the term "demisexual" means.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2024

Howell said she was demisexual, meaning she only feels attracted to someone after she forms a strong emotional bond with them.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2024

Q. Not quite comparable: I am a nonbinary lesbian, and one of my closest friends is cis, straight, and demisexual.

From Slate • Jul. 13, 2020

I’m demisexual, an orientation I didn’t even know existed until I discovered the term on the internet after realizing I seem to spend extraordinarily less time thinking about sex than my peers do.

From New York Times • May 19, 2017

But maybe I was demisexual, because I was sort of open to finding a connection with someone else again.

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023