sexual orientation

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sexual orientation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

one's natural preference in sexual partners; predilection for homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.

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Origin of sexual orientation

First recorded in 1990–95

Words nearby sexual orientation

sexual dwarf, sexual generation, sexual harassment, sexual infantilism, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, sexual relations, sexual reproduction, sexual revolution, sexual selection, sexuality
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Medical definitions for sexual orientation

sexual orientation

n.

The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. Replaces sexual preference in most contemporary uses.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cultural definitions for sexual orientation

sexual orientation

Preference for sexual activity with people of the opposite sex, the same sex, or both. (See bisexuality, heterosexuality, and homosexuality.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.