heterosexual

CEFRB2

/ˌhɛtəɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
adjective
Sexually or romantically attracted to people of another sex.
02
adjective
Extra detail
Between two people of different sex.

Examples

Bonobos often use sexual behavior, sometimes homosexual, sometimes heterosexual, for social negotiation.
I haven't seen a heterosexual person in over a week.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 2
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 5

Also pronounced

/ˌhɛtəɹoʊˈsɛkʃuəl/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

Having a sexual desire for the opposite sex seen as unhealthy, including a proclivity for nonreproductive sex.
Sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.

noun

Extra meaning

A heterosexual person, or other heterosexual organism.

More examples

In context

Sami is a heterosexual.
The laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation apply to all people, gay and straight alike. If an antistraight boss starts firing heterosexuals, they're protected.
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).

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The study focused on blank couples, excluding same-sex pairs from the sample.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

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

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Origin

adjective

From hetero- + -sexual. Earliest citation from 1892, in C.G. Craddock's translation of Krafft-Ebbing's Psychopathia Sexualis.

Deep Dive

adjective

noun

More examples

Related

Quick test

The study focused on blank— couples, excluding same-sex pairs from the sample.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

The study focused on blank couples, excluding same-sex pairs from the sample.