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.

---

Other Word Forms

• heteronormativity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of heteronormative

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heteronormative

“I’d only dated men up until my partner… I feel like the world is so saturated with love songs from a very heteronormative perspective and I felt no interest in it at all.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025

Febos works to dismantle heteronormative stereotypes about love and sex in this book, quoting writer Sara Ahmed: “When you leave heterosexuality, you still live in a heterosexual world.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 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

Flipping comedy and heteronormative superhero tropes like two cheap tables at a bar, Vera Drew's delivery as Joker calls to mind Ezra Miller's acting style.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 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