heterosexuality
Americannoun
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sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of the other binary gender.
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the state of being sexually attracted only to the other binary gender.
noun
Etymology
Origin of heterosexuality
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.
But perhaps more to the point: If heterosexuality is so great, why does it require a sales pitch at all?
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
Taylor acknowledges that heteropessimism, a term used by Asa Seresin in a 2019 piece in The New Inquiry, isn’t the same as actually denying or refusing to engage with heterosexuality.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
Febos works to dismantle heteronormative stereotypes about love and sex in this book, quoting writer Sara Ahmed: “When you leave heterosexuality, you still live in a heterosexual world.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025
He likes what he likes, and if you think his taste is weird, he finds conventional heterosexuality to be even weirder.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2024
Be this as it may, homosexuality takes place under a different set of biological and social expectations than do heterosexuality and other forms of sexuality.
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.
