heterosexual

het·ero·sex·u·al | \ ˌhe-tə-rō-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wəl

How to pronounce heterosexual (audio)

, -ˈsek-shəl \

Definition of heterosexual

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to or between people of the opposite sex heterosexual men/women a heterosexual couple

b : of, relating to, or involving sexual activity between individuals of the opposite sex

2 : of or relating to different sexes

heterosexual

plural heterosexuals

Definition of heterosexual (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of the opposite sex : a heterosexual person

Other Words from heterosexual More Example Sentences Learn More about heterosexual

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Examples of heterosexual in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Browning is, by all accounts, a white, heterosexual man. — Britni De La Cretaz, refinery29.com, "From Burner Accounts To Patti LaBelle: What Is The Weirdest Part Of The Dean Browning Story?," 11 Nov. 2020 Despite her hesitation, Abby agrees to pretend to be Harper’s heterosexual roommate. — Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, "How Kristen Stewart and Dan Levy bring heart to Hulu's Christmas movie 'Happiest Season'," 20 Nov. 2020 This flip-side of not wanting to play straight characters, however, speaks to another issue in the industry regarding the plethora of heterosexual stories over LGBTQ ones. — David Oliver, USA TODAY, "'Prison Break' star Wentworth Miller on future roles: 'I just don't want to play straight characters'," 11 Nov. 2020 Growing up, Singh never met anyone identifying differently than heterosexual. — Leena Tailor, Glamour, "Lilly Singh, a Year After A Little Late," 11 Nov. 2020 In February of this year, a district court advanced her case to trial, ruling that similar investigations of male, heterosexual officers had resulted in much lesser penalties, or none at all. — Dan Avery, NBC News, "She says the sheriff fired her for being gay. Now, she'll be the sheriff.," 10 Nov. 2020 In fact, studies show that two thirds of Gen Z identifies as exclusively heterosexual and that this demographic has a less-binary, more fluid view of sexuality. — Kirthan Aujlay, refinery29.com, "One Thing You Should Never Ask A Bisexual Person," 29 Oct. 2020 Isn’t that the same as being a heterosexual cisgender female? Definitely not. — Claire Gillespie, Health.com, "What Does It Mean to Be Androsexual? Here's What Experts Say," 26 Oct. 2020 For most heterosexual couples, the husband outearns the wife. — Katie Surma, chicagotribune.com, "As the pandemic wears on, more working moms are forced to quit their jobs, and the impact of the ‘shecession’ could be long-lasting," 2 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun While Calvin Klein is known for pushing the envelope, people are accusing the brand of queerbaiting, since Bella identifies as heterosexual. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "A Complete Timeline of Bella Hadid and The Weeknd's Relationship," 31 Aug. 2020 Wilde wrote as a voice from Fullerton’s London years, and Fullerton in Paris had left all that behind to become an enthusiastic heterosexual. — Colm Tóibín, The New York Review of Books, "Shadow Selves," 3 Aug. 2020 This is apparently one of the few ballet companies populated exclusively by heterosexuals, with the exception of Erik (Shakiem Evans), who seems to be the troupe's token gay man. — Anne Cohen, refinery29.com, "Center Stage Is Still The Best Goddamn Ballet Movie Of Our Time," 24 Apr. 2020 But to Samson Racioppi and fellow organizers of a Straight Pride Parade on Saturday in Boston — an event expected to draw dozens of supporters and perhaps 800 counter-protesters — the real victims today are heterosexuals. — Dan Adams, BostonGlobe.com, "Ignore the Straight Pride Parade or fight it? LGBTQ community divided over how to respond," 29 Aug. 2019 Underneath the heterosexuals were the tentative notices for young gay men and women. — Douglas Stuart, The New Yorker, "Found Wanting," 6 Jan. 2020 In the post-Edwardian period, upper class men were more likely to already understand the world in terms of heterosexuals and homosexuals, with a bright and absolute line dividing the two. — Hugh Ryan, Town & Country, "Downton Abbey's Thomas Barrow and the Future of the Gay Past," 16 Sep. 2019 The cluster bumped King County’s rate of HIV among homeless heterosexuals who inject drugs by 286%. — oregonlive, "Homeless with HIV: A lack of housing makes a preventable disease deadly in Oregon," 10 Nov. 2019 Most of the people in power—the gatekeepers—are white male heterosexuals. — Bon Appétit, "Ashtin Berry Takes a Hard Look at the Restaurant Industry—and How It Can Be Better," 4 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heterosexual.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near heterosexual

heteropoly acid

Heterosiphonales

Statistics for heterosexual

Last Updated

3 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Heterosexual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heterosexual. Accessed 14 Dec. 2020.

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More Definitions for heterosexual

heterosexual

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of heterosexual

: sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex

: based on sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex

See the full definition for heterosexual in the English Language Learners Dictionary

heterosexual

het·ero·sex·u·al | \ ˌhet-ə-rō-ˈseksh-(ə-)wəl, -ˈsek-shəl

\

Medical Definition of heterosexual

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to or between individuals of the opposite sex

b : of, relating to, or involving sexual activity between individuals of the opposite sex sexual relationships between individuals of opposite sexes are heterosexual— A. C. Kinsey

2 : of or relating to different sexes

heterosexual

Medical Definition of heterosexual (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of the opposite sex : a heterosexual individual

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