heterosexuality

American  

[het-er-uh-sek-shoo-al-i-tee, -seks-yoo-] / ˌhɛt ər əˌsɛk ʃuˈæl ɪ ti, -ˌsɛks yu- /

noun

1. sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of the other binary gender.

2. the state of being sexually attracted only to the other binary gender.

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heterosexuality Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of heterosexuality

First recorded in 1895–1900; hetero- + sexuality

Example Sentences

“Being LGBTQ, having those labels, does not remove your stupidity, just like heterosexuality does not remove your stupidity,” she told Vanity Fair.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2025

In the three decades since Martin's study, Almeling said, scholars and advocates have increasingly challenged the presumption of heterosexuality and the categorization of bodies as either male or female.

From Science Daily • Oct. 1, 2023

“I love those two soulful women so much, but I felt the heterosexuality in those lyrics,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2022

In the comics, heterosexuality never feels like the default — there are major and minor queer characters and good and bad queer characters, none of whom are used as tokens.

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2022

Be this as it may, homosexuality takes place under a different set of biological and social expectations than do heterosexuality and other forms of sexuality.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai