sexuality
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being sexual
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preoccupation with or involvement in sexual matters
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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:
He also privately approached Neil Patrick Harris to apologize for aggressively trying to out him as a gay man in 2006, before the actor had spoken about his sexuality publicly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In those solo presentations, Usha Seejarim’s conceptual sculptures and wall works examined gender and sexuality through repurposed objects, and Mmangaliso Nzuza’s biographical paintings infused Western art history with African trends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
People fleeing persecution because of their political beliefs, gender or sexuality, and how they pray will face certain peril.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
“Conversations about sexuality and gender diversity were either absent, heavily stigmatized, or framed as something foreign and unacceptable,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
That was the day Aech had finally come out to her mother about her sexuality.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Oppenheimer acknowledges that Blume’s characters may not be diverse enough by today’s standards; that they don’t usually discuss “gender identities or sexualities; children of multiracial backgrounds; children who have disabilities.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
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.
