single-sex

American

[sing-guhl-seks] / ˈsɪŋ gəlˌsɛks /

adjective

designated for, pertaining to, or serving only males or only females.

a single-sex college.

single-sex British

adjective

(of schools, etc) admitting members of one sex only; not coeducational

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of single-sex

First recorded in 1935–40

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:

single-sex

Fraternities enroll men who have already decided they want to join single-sex organizations for friendship, belonging and status.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

For many German couples, single-sex or heterosexual, surrogacy abroad has become an important option.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Sightings of Swift and Kelce gathering separately in single-sex groups have prompted major speculation about the stars’ respective bachelor and bachelorette parties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Ministers accepted the outcome of the ruling and updated guidance on single-sex spaces.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

They lived on the grounds in bleak, single-sex barracks that contained hundreds of concrete bunks separated from each other by only a few inches.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023