opposite sex

American  

[op-uh-zit seks, op-uh-sit] / ˈɒp ə zɪt ˈsɛks, ˈɒp ə sɪt /

noun

1. Often the opposite sex women in reference to men or men in reference to women.

   Do you have many friends of the opposite sex?

---

adjective

1. Usually opposite-sex of or relating to two or more persons of different genders: Opposite-sex marriage is more normalized than same-sex marriage.

   The study is about relationships between children and their opposite-sex parents.

   Opposite-sex marriage is more normalized than same-sex marriage.

opposite sex British  

noun

1. women in relation to men or men in relation to women

---

Usage

The phrase opposite sex relies on an assumption that men and women are indeed opposites. This upholds a binary view of gender, and also usually conflates sex and gender, both of which may be considered controversial. A less binary version of the phrase is other genders.

Etymology

Origin of opposite sex

First recorded in 1710–30

Example Sentences

I suspect this is why Reese Morgan's comment rankled Professor K so much: he couldn't laugh at Gilmour and Waters – they weren't posing for dips**t People magazine; they were just going about their lives – so he was forced to face the truth, which is that straight women, like straight men, register beauty in the opposite sex, and like men, we usually do it without cracking up.

From Salon

Female mass shooters are rare, but those who identify as the opposite sex or non-binary are becoming more visible.

From Washington Times

The House Judiciary Committee endorsed the proposal to allow someone to be charged with misdemeanor sexual indecency with a child if they use a public restroom or changing room of the opposite sex when a minor is present.

From Seattle Times

“Catholic health care services must not perform interventions, whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex or take part in the development of such procedures.”

From Washington Post

At the same time, the bill doesn’t prevent the legislature from passing anti-discrimination measures protecting people who identify as the opposite sex in areas such as employment.

From Washington Times