of, characterized by, or having to do with homosexuality
Origin of homosexual
see homo- a homosexual individual
A homosexual couple.
- The definition of homosexual is people who are sexually attracted to individuals who are the same sex, or it is something related to sexual attraction to someone of the same sex.
- A man's sexual attraction to another man is an example of something that would be described as a homosexual attraction.
- A bar that is primarily frequented by gay men and gay women is an example of a homosexual bar.
- Homosexual is defined as a person who is sexually attracted to someone of his or her own sex.
A man who is sexually attracted to other men is an example of a homosexual.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"homosexual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual>.
APA Style
homosexual. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual
homosexual
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"homosexual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual>.
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homosexual. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual
homosexual
adjective
Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex.
noun
A homosexual person; a gay man or a lesbian.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"homosexual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual>.
APA Style
homosexual. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual
Adjective
(comparative more homosexual, superlative most homosexual)
- (of a person or animal) Sexually attracted primarily to other members of the same sex. Being either a male androphile or a female gynephile. (Sometimes used in the sense of sole/exclusive attraction.)
- (of a romantic or sexual act or relationship) Between two people of the same gender or same sex; gay.
- My sister is currently in a homosexual relationship with a girl in her class.
- homosexual acts, a homosexual kiss
- Intended for or used by homosexuals, as a nightclub, a bar, etc.
Usage notes
- Many homosexual people prefer to be referred to by the adjective (noun) gay.
- Many female homosexuals prefer to be referred to as lesbians.
- Many people now avoid using the term homosexual because of the emphasis this term places on sexuality. Indeed, the words gay and lesbian, which stress cultural and social matters over sex, are frequently better choices. Homosexual is most objectionable when used as a noun; here "gay man" and either "gay woman" or "lesbian" and their plural forms are called for. It is generally somewhat less objectionable when used adjectivally, as in "a homosexual relationship", although "gay", "lesbian", or "same-sex" are also available for adjectival use.
- Pronunciation: The word "homosexual" derives from the Greek word for "same", which is traditionally pronounced /ˈhɒməʊ/, /"hQm@U/ in words derived from it, rather than the Latin word homo (“man”), which is pronounced /ˈhəʊməʊ/, /"həUməU/ (RP) in English words derived from it. Hence the etymology indicates that the appropriate pronunciation of the vowel in the first syllable is /ɒ/, /Q/, but the pronunciation with the long vowel /əʊ/, /@U/ in this position is much more commonly heard, and is the only correct pronunciation of the shortened form homo.
- Because of the similarity of homo- to the Latin word for man, the term homosexual is sometimes interpreted as meaning "sexually attracted solely or primarily to [other] men".
Noun
(plural homosexuals)
- A person who is attracted solely or primarily to others of the same sex.
Usage notes
- Female homosexuals are also known as lesbians, a term preferred by many of them. As homosexual applies to people of either sex, the expression homosexuals and lesbians is a pleonasm and is best replaced by "homosexuals" or "lesbians" alone as appropriate, or "gay people" (see also the usage notes for the adjective, and for gay).
Origin
From homo- + sexual, English from 1892.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"homosexual." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual>.
APA Style
homosexual. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Homosexual
Sentence Examples
- In particular, they have campaigned for gay acceptance in the entertainment industry and have advocated for more homosexual characters in television and movies and encouraged other gay musicians to publicly acknowledge their sexuality.
- An example of this was Pedro Zamora, who was openly homosexual during filming of the San Francisco house, and eventually succumbed to AIDS in 1994, after a long battle with the disease and plenty of activism credited to his name.
- Toward the end of the 1990s and into the early 2000s, a number of jurisdictions relaxed or eliminated laws curbing homosexual behavior, including sodomy laws and laws preventing homosexuals from serving in armed forces.
- In some cultures, especially those influenced by homophobic religions, homosexuality is considered a perversion and has been outlawed; in some jurisdictions homosexual behavior is a crime punishable by death.
- Development of sexual identity in middle childhood and early adolescence is a natural process but is more stressful for homosexual adolescents, according to the American School Health Association (ASHA).
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