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.
Kris King, an autistic graduate of Harvard University's History of Science: Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, explained to Salon that being an autistic woman is problematic in another way — autism can be fetishized.
From Salon • Sep. 22, 2024
His first major title, an English translation of “Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven: Women, Sexuality, and the Catholic Church,” by the German scholar Uta Ranke-Heinemann, was a frank look at sexuality and the church.
From New York Times • Oct. 30, 2022
“It could take so long that the resolution is meaningless,” said Forbes, who chairs the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department at Fresno State.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2022
“Things went amazing,” Ezra Totten, student leader of the Gender Sexuality Alliance at Burlington High School, said of Friday night’s event, which also included participants from South Burlington High School.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 16, 2021
Sexuality was subjected to the experience of accepted rules-the do's and don'ts appropriate to expectations of efficiency, and their resulting values, corresponding to the scale of humankind and the natural condition.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai
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.
