homosexual

[ hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uhl or, especially British, -seks-yoo- ]

/ ˌhoʊ məˈsɛk ʃu əl or, especially British, -ˈsɛks yu- /

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usage alert about homosexual

Up until 1973, homosexuality was listed in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), psychiatry's standard reference on the classification of mental illness. People aware of this former categorization feel that the term homosexual still carries a negative connotation. And many feel that this word places undue emphasis on sexual activity, or that it sounds overly clinical. In fact, homosexual as an adjective and noun has been mostly replaced by gay except in medical or other formal contexts. People who still use homosexual are usually unaware that the term is a sensitive one, although some do use it with intent to cause offense. However, not all members of the gay community object to it. See also gay.

adjective

Often Disparaging and Offensive. sexually attracted to people of one's own sex or gender; gay: homosexual couples.

Often Disparaging and Offensive. of or relating to sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of one's own sex or gender.

Archaic. of, relating to, or noting the same sex: She gave birth to homosexual twins.

noun

Often Disparaging and Offensive.

a person, especially a man, who is sexually attracted to people of the same sex or gender.
a person, especially a man, who is sexually attracted exclusively to people of the same sex or gender.

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Origin of homosexual

First recorded in 1890–95; homo- + sexual

OTHER WORDS FROM homosexual

an·ti·ho·mo·sex·u·al, adjective

Words nearby homosexual

homoromantic, Homo sapiens, Homo sapiens idaltu, Homo sapiens sapiens, homoscedastic, homosexual, homosexuality, homosocial, homosporous, homospory, homostyled

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use homosexual in a sentence

Immanuel Christian School doesn’t just have policies excluding LGBTQ people, but declares in its employment application “homosexual acts and lifestyles are clearly perversion and reprehensible in the sight of God.”
Anti-LGBTQ school where Karen Pence teaches obtained $725K in PPP money|Chris Johnson|December 4, 2020|Washington Blade
The students implicated in the affair were called in one by one and accused of participating in homosexual activities before being expelled.
Honoring victims of the Harvard Secret Court of 1920|Diego Garcia Blum|November 5, 2020|Washington Blade
The confinement somehow helped me to stay away from society that did not tire of making me feel bad about my obvious homosexual condition in much of my youth.
A non-binary Cuban artist is born again in Spain|Yariel Valdés González|October 16, 2020|Washington Blade
I am talking about the 80s, when things were seen from a very different point of view and to be homosexual in that time was the worst.
Cubans share their coming out stories|Tremenda Nota|October 13, 2020|Washington Blade

In 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in every state except Illinois.
How the New York Media Covered The Stonewall Riots|LGBTQ-Editor|June 23, 2020|No Straight News
Homosexual acts come naturally to them, heterosexual acts do not.
The Vatican's Same-Sex Synod: The Bishops Hear About Reality. Do They Listen?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Okay, but still, “Homosexual persons are called to chastity.”
Catholic University’s Harvey Milk Ban Reflects A Church In Transition|Jay Michaelson|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Homosexual conduct between consenting adults is legal in Turkey, but far from accepted.
Turkey’s Violent Homophobia|John Beck|July 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In March 2009, Lively arrived in Uganda to headline the “Seminar on Exposing the Homosexual Agenda.”
Ugandan Gay-Rights Group Sues U.S. Pastor|Nina Strochlic|January 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Stanley Kauffman in the Times complained of “Homosexual Drama and Its Disguises.”
How Gossip Became History: Eminent Outlaws by Christopher Bram|Brad Gooch|January 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Homosexual intimacies between girls are far more often platonic than similar intimacies between boys.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
Homosexual Eros has a different finality than heterosexual Eros.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
Homosexual choice of object is originally more natural to narcism than the heterosexual.
A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis|Sigmund Freud
Homosexual love has played a much greater part in the world's history than is generally believed.
The Sexual Question|August Forel
Homosexual practices everywhere flourish and abound in prisons.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for homosexual

homosexual

/ (ˌhəʊməʊˈsɛksjʊəl, ˌhɒm-) /

noun

a person who is sexually attracted to members of the same sex

adjective

of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality

of or relating to the same sex

Compare heterosexual

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

homosexual

usage alert about homosexual

Origin of homosexual

OTHER WORDS FROM homosexual

Words nearby homosexual

Words related to homosexual

How to use homosexual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for homosexual