gender identity

American  

noun

1. a person's inner sense of being male, female, or another gender, usually developed during early childhood as a result of parental rearing practices and societal influences and strengthened during puberty by hormonal changes.

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Sensitive Note

One's gender identity may continue to evolve over time and may diverge from the male/female gender division. See the usage note at gender ¹ .

Example Sentences

AB is a reluctant transgender athlete pioneer who prefers to be known for so much more than just her gender identity, but the prospect of hiding because she was relentlessly attacked didn’t feel right, either.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

Known as "Tickle vs Giggle", the years-long dispute is the first time a case of alleged gender identity discrimination has been heard by the Federal Court in Australia.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

They worked to exclude religious schools anyway by forbidding participants from discriminating based on religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

The DRA said it "seeks to be inclusive" and it encouraged "all players - irrespective of their biological sex, legal sex, and/or gender identity" to continue competing in open tournaments.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

In a decade of solid, original research, Luce made his second great discovery: that gender identity is established very early on in life, about the age of two.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides