homosexual
Americanadjective
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Often Disparaging and Offensive. sexually attracted to people of one's own sex or gender; gay.
homosexual couples.
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Often Disparaging and Offensive. of or relating to sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of one's own sex or gender.
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Archaic. of, relating to, or noting the same sex.
She gave birth to homosexual twins.
noun
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homosexuals
plural
noun
adjective
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of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of homosexual
Explanation
Homosexual is a noun and adjective. Either way, it has to do with people who are attracted to members of the same sex. Homosexuals are attracted to people of their own sex in romantic and sexual ways. A lesbian is specifically a homosexual woman, and the word gay applies to men and women who are homosexual, though more often men. Homosexual people have faced a lot of prejudice, just like women, African-Americans, and other groups. But society is working to support homosexual people as equal citizens with equal rights.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The contours of Pride appear in my mind whenever I’m watching a movie that I feel speaks to my own uniquely homosexual sensibilities, which frequently change.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
Jonathan Rauch, who describes himself as an “atheist homosexual Jew” and therefore has no dog in this fight, sees it more clearly than most Christians do.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
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
In September last year, Burkina Faso's transitional parliament approved a bill banning homosexual acts, while its neighbour Mali also adopted legislation criminalising homosexuality in 2024.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
In one society, homosexual relationships might have been accepted, while in the other they were taboo.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
The high court voted 8-3 to extend the protections of an existing law prohibiting racial discrimination in hiring, housing and public access to homosexuals and transgender people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
"My job is to defend people. I don't see why I would say I'm defending everyone except homosexuals."
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2025
They were homosexuals and they wanted equal rights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
“It was as sincere a marriage as you’re going to get between a male homosexual and a woman at a time when a lot of male homosexuals married women.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
I don't have a problem with homosexual's I have friends that’s homosexuals and we never had problems so I don’t look at you wrong because of your sexualitie.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
