asexuality

Definition of Asexuality

(noun) Lacking or having minimal sexual attraction, desire, or interest towards others.

Asexuality Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: a·sex·u·al·i·ty

Audio Pronunciation

Phonetic Spelling

• American English – /ay-sek-shuh-wAl-uh-tee/
• British English – /ay-sek-syoo-Al-it-ee/

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˌeɪˌsɛkʃəˈwælədi/
• British English – /(ˌ)eɪsɛkʃʊˈalᵻti/

Usage Notes

• Plural: asexualities
• Asexuality is not the same as celibacy, which is the intentional absence of sexual activities.
• Asexuality is experienced on a continuum. Some asexuals masturbate and have sex with others to conceive children, or as part of romantic relationships.
• Asexuality is compared and contrasted to bisexuality, heterosexuality, homosexuality, and pansexuality.
• Also called:
  • asexualism.
  • nonsexuality
  • sexlessness
• An (noun) asexual lives (adverb) asexually.

Additional Information

• Sex and Gender Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “asexuality” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• celibacy
• individual
• norm
• relationship
• sex

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Works Consulted

Crooks, Robert, and Karla Baur. 2014. Our Sexuality. 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Encyclopædia Britannica. (N.d.) Britannica Digital Learning. (https://britannicalearn.com/).

Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Macionis, John. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.

Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

Cite the Definition of Asexuality Definition

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “asexuality.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/asexuality/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

asexuality. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/asexuality/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “asexuality.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/asexuality/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“asexuality.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/asexuality/>.