Definition of Asexuality
(noun) Lacking or having minimal sexual attraction, desire, or interest towards others.
Asexuality Pronunciation
Syllabification: a·sex·u·al·i·ty
Audio Pronunciation
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
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 July 16, 2020 (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 July 16, 2020. https://sociologydictionary.org/asexuality/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“asexuality.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 16 Jul. 2020. <https://sociologydictionary.org/asexuality/>.