gender identity

American  

noun

1. a person's inner sense of being male, female, or another gender, usually developed during early childhood as a result of parental rearing practices and societal influences and strengthened during puberty by hormonal changes.

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Sensitive Note

One's gender identity may continue to evolve over time and may diverge from the male/female gender division. See the usage note at gender ¹ .

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gender identity

The researchers say this suggests that gender identity was recognized from an early stage of life and was reflected in burial practices.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

Asheville has backed reparations for slavery, protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement and banned discrimination based on gender identity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Clayton County, which held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects against employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

The bill would make it a criminal offence to provide conversion therapy, or to engage in coercive conversion behaviour, external with the goal of changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

It is clear by this that sex of rearing, rather than genetic determinants, plays a greater role in the establishment of gender identity.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides