Heterosexual Meaning
/ˌhɛtəɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjSexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.
adjBetween two people of different sex.
Sentence Examples
Bonobos often use sexual behavior, sometimes homosexual, sometimes heterosexual, for social negotiation.
Sami is a heterosexual.
I haven't seen a heterosexual person in over a week.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The study focused on ____ couples, excluding same-sex pairs from the sample.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The survey asked participants to identify whether they were ____, gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
Word Origin & History
From hetero- + -sexual. Earliest citation from 1892, in C.G. Craddock's translation of Krafft-Ebbing's Psychopathia Sexualis.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Thai charter court rules that only heterosexual marriages are constitutional: Same-sex marriage in Thailand will have to wait, as the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously today (Wednesday) that Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code, defining marriage as being a union between a man and a woman, is constitutional."
— 2021 November 17, Thai PBS, “Thai charter court rules that only heterosexual marriages are constitutional”, in Thai PBS World, Bangkok: Thai Public Broadcasting Service, retrieved 17 Nov 2021:
"Early Adolescence. This is the high school period between 14 and 17 years of age. This is a confusing and stressful period for the teenager, because sexual impulses are now quite strong in spite of societal sanctions against heterosexual activity."
— 1983, Raymond J[oseph] Corsini, Anthony J[oseph] Marsella, Personality Theories, Research, & Assessment, Itasca, Ill.: F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc., →ISBN, page 348:
"On the average, the [bisexual] women’s first heterosexual attraction and experience (at 11.6 and 14.7 years) occurred before their first homosexual attraction and experience (at 16.9 and 21.4 years)."
— 1994, Martin S[tephen] Weinberg, Colin J[ohn] Williams, Douglas W. Pryor, Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality, New York, N.Y.; Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 43:
"Attempts at eliminating bias against LGBTQ people through education, academically and clinically, often lead to inclusion practices that are “added-on”, i.e., a family therapy course discusses same-sex couples as an addendum lecture at the end of the course, instead of infusing the material throughout the course. Green and Mitchell (2008) ask their readers to imagine authoring an article entitled “Therapy with Heterosexual Couples.”"
— 2015, Arlene Istar Lev, “Resilience in Lesbian and Gay Couples”, in Karen Skerrett, Karen Fergus, editors, Couple Resilience: Emerging Perspectives, Springer, →ISBN, part II (Resilient Processes and Applications to Specific Populations), page 46:
"Mankeeping describes the emotional labor women end up doing in heterosexual relationships. It goes beyond remembering birthdays or coordinating social plans. It means being your partner’s one-man support system."
— 2025 June 20, Ashley Fike, “Mankeeping Is Why Women Are Done With Dating”, in VICE:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The study focused on ____ couples, excluding same-sex pairs from the sample.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The survey asked participants to identify whether they were ____, gay, lesbian, or bisexual.