homosexual

American  

[hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uhl, -seks-yoo-] / ˌhoʊ məˈsɛk ʃu əl, -ˈsɛks yu- /

adjective

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

   homosexual couples.

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

3. Archaic. of, relating to, or noting the same sex.

   She gave birth to homosexual twins.

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noun

1. Often Disparaging and Offensive.

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

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

homosexual British  

/ ˌhɒm-, ˌhəʊməʊˈsɛksjʊəl /

noun

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

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adjective

1. of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality

2. of or relating to the same sex

Sensitive Note

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.

Other Word Forms

• antihomosexual adjective

Etymology

Origin of homosexual

First recorded in 1890–95; homo- + sexual

Example Sentences

A not-so-closeted homosexual, he also waxes lyrical about his infatuation with a young Yale student, played by a bottle-blonde Margaret Qualley, and shares drinks with "Charlotte's Web" author E.B.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

The world got along for thousands of years without the enforced binaries of heterosexual and homosexual, and in recent decades the fences erected around that century-old split have been coming down.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025

The partial decriminalisation of homosexuality began in the UK in 1967 with the passing of the Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts between men over the age of 21 in England and Wales.

From BBC • May 15, 2025

Like any burgeoning homosexual child, I came equipped with the gay starter pack that included talkativeness and flamboyance.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2025

Later, the black movement’s vitality extended to animate the liberation movements of women, the elderly, the physically disabled, and the homosexual.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez