heterosexuality

[ het-er-uh-sek-shoo-al-i-tee or, especially British, -seks-yoo- ]

/ ˌhɛt ər əˌsɛk ʃuˈæl ɪ ti or, especially British, -ˌsɛks yu- /

Save This Word!

noun

sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of the opposite sex.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of heterosexuality

First recorded in 1895–1900; hetero- + sexuality

Words nearby heterosexuality

heteroromantic, heteroscedastic, heterosex, heterosexism, heterosexual, heterosexuality, heterosis, heterosocial, heterosporous, heterospory, heterostracan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use heterosexuality in a sentence

The bill would remove exclusive words and broaden definitions, such as including more than heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality in sexual orientation.
Del. lawmakers seek to update LGBTQ language|Esther Frances|June 7, 2021|Washington Blade
Our research indicates that one outcome of more than a century of feminist activism and progress Advertisement may be women’s increasing resistance to compulsory heterosexuality and its consequences.
Feminism’s Legacy Sees College Women Embracing More Diverse Sexuality|LGBTQ-Editor|April 28, 2021|No Straight News
However, women ages 18 to 29 are increasingly rejecting exclusive heterosexuality and describing their sexual orientation in other ways.
Feminism’s Legacy Sees College Women Embracing More Diverse Sexuality|LGBTQ-Editor|April 28, 2021|No Straight News
As a result, more women under 30 are moving away from exclusive heterosexuality than men in the same age group.
Feminism’s Legacy Sees College Women Embracing More Diverse Sexuality|LGBTQ-Editor|April 28, 2021|No Straight News

The shift is more pronounced among women who are moving away from exclusive heterosexuality, and less obvious among women who report they are exclusively heterosexual.
Feminism’s Legacy Sees College Women Embracing More Diverse Sexuality|LGBTQ-Editor|April 28, 2021|No Straight News
Maybe the wheel will turn again, and heterosexuality will come to seem edgy.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’|Tim Teeman|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They started attending a Mormon support group that encouraged LGBT people to “come back to God” and return to heterosexuality.
Thank God! To the Church, This Transgender Woman Is Just a Skank|Emily Shire|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the devil of heterosexuality is definitely in the details.
Lana Del Rey Makes Me Wish I Were Straight|Samantha Allen|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most female pop stars play directly into the “invisible rightness” that surrounds heterosexuality.
Lana Del Rey Makes Me Wish I Were Straight|Samantha Allen|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She overenunciates her heterosexuality, like a mother teaching her daughter how to say “bad boy” for the very first time.
Lana Del Rey Makes Me Wish I Were Straight|Samantha Allen|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On leaving the university his heterosexuality asserted itself normally.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for heterosexuality

heterosexuality

/ (ˌhɛtərəʊˌsɛksjʊˈælɪtɪ) /

noun

sexual attraction to or sexual relations with a person or persons of the opposite sexCompare homosexuality

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for heterosexuality

heterosexuality

[ hĕt′ə-rō-sĕk′shōō-ăl′ĭ-tē ]

Erotic attraction, predisposition, or sexual behavior between persons of the opposite sex.

Cultural definitions for heterosexuality

heterosexuality

Sexual attraction between a male and a female. (Compare bisexuality and homosexuality.)