sexual orientation

American  

[sek-shoo-uhl awr-ee-uhn-tay-shuhn, -en-] / ˈsɛk ʃu əl ˌɔr i ənˈteɪ ʃən, -ɛn- /

noun

• sexual orientations
  plural

1. one's inherent attraction to a sexual partner of a certain gender, or the absence of gender preference in a sexual relationship; one’s identity as asexual, bisexual, heterosexual, gay, pansexual, etc.

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sexual orientation Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sexual orientations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sexual orientation

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sexual orientation

Virginia, Ginsburg’s opinion for the court explaining the Constitution’s guarantees against sex discrimination—which judges apply in cases of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity as well.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

Instead of suffering through that, I watched people of every imaginable race, creed, sexual orientation and color enjoying life.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

He wrote the court’s four major rulings rejecting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

They worked to exclude religious schools anyway by forbidding participants from discriminating based on religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

While race and sexual orientation are perfectly appropriate aspects of one’s identity to embrace, criminality for its own sake most certainly is not.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander