heteronormative

American  

[het-er-uh-nawr-muh-tiv] / ˌhɛt ər əˈnɔr mə tɪv /

adjective

1. noting or relating to behavior or attitudes consistent with traditional male or female gender roles and the assumption of heterosexuality as the norm.

   our heteronormative culture.

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Other Word Forms

• heteronormativity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of heteronormative

First recorded in 1990–95; hetero(sexual) ( def. ) + normative ( def. )

Example Sentences

But so are heteronormative ones, especially in a Regency-styled world, a point of agreement shared by showrunner Jess Brownell and Quinn when Brownell decided to change the character originally known as Michael into Michaela.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

As a gay man — notably, like Rauschenberg — he was socially invisible in a heteronormative society.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2025

It says a lot about the staid state of masculinity that men want the same heteronormative version of handsome that has defined male beauty standards for years.

From Slate • Sep. 21, 2024

But why is the platform's large Gen Z audience, known for going against heteronormative standards, celebrating a number of gender-based online trends?

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2023

What that means, she explains, is that Hallmark productions are broadening beyond the heteronormative girl-meets-boy-at-the-tree farm stories.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2023