celibacy

Definition of Celibacy

(noun) The intentional absence of sexual activities.

Example of Celibacy

• Chastity before marriage.

Celibacy Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: cel·i·ba·cy

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈsɛləbəsi/
• British English – /ˈsɛlɪbəsi/

Usage Notes

• Plural: celibacies
• Celibacy can be both voluntary and involuntary. When it is involuntary it is called incel.
• Celibacy historically referred to being unmarried.

Additional Information

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

Related Terms

• ascribed status
• behavior
• culture
• discrimination
• feminism
• gender
• individual
• minority group

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Works Consulted

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

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

Cite the Definition of Celibacy

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “celibacy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved November 28, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/celibacy/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

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

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “celibacy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/celibacy/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“celibacy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/celibacy/>.