sexuality
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being sexual
-
preoccupation with or involvement in sexual matters
-
the possession of sexual potency
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sexuality
Explanation
The noun sexuality can refer to sexual matters of all kinds. It often describes having sexual feelings. A novel about a teenager growing up may examine the awakening sexuality of its main character. Sexuality also describes a person's sexual preferences and orientation — meaning whether you're gay or straight. Sexuality can refer to erotic experiences, but it can also be used broadly to refer to how organisms — whether human or animal — reproduce. There are scientists who exclusively study sexuality, from the mating habits of animals to the peculiarities of how humans pair up.
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 dynamic between Leo, who runs a bar filled with young queer and trans employees, and Clive, whose teenage son is grappling with his own sexuality, required true intensity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
European campaigners have long been calling for a rewrite of terms used to discuss women's bodies, sexuality and health.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
There were “many efforts at that time to define a so-called Christian moral politics around what they call family values, personal responsibility, what they defined as appropriate expression of sexuality and patriotism,” Drake said.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Skillfully collating the accounts of Auden’s intimates, he offers details about the poet’s sexuality, psyche, cratering appearance and deteriorating habits that are painful to contemplate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Most of us see gender and sexuality and romance as one big interconnected tangle of feelings—this is who I am, this is who I’m attracted to, this is who I love.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
The results were weighted to try to represent the views of the wider LGBTQ+ population - including those of different sexualities, gender identities, races and abilities.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
If Americans have learned anything from the past few years, rational, unhinged, unethical, and deceitful are characteristics that come in all ethnicities, genders, and sexualities.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2024
The individuals interviewed for the study represented a broad range of education levels, occupations, sexualities, and racial and ethnic backgrounds.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2023
“We support all genders, sexualities and gender pronouns.”
From Washington Times ● Sep. 20, 2023
Moreover, a man counts no more than a woman in their sum total of daily pleasure, and when they choose a comrade it is for human qualities, not sexualities.
From Seven Miles to Arden by Ruth Sawyer
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.
