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heterosexism

Definition of Heterosexism

(noun) Actions and behaviors which institutionalize or reify opposite-sex attraction as the only legitimate and “normal” sexual relation, at the expense of all others.

Heterosexism Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: het·er·o·sex·ism

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˌhɛdəroʊˈsɛkˌsɪz(ə)m/
  • British English – /ˌhɛt(ə)rə(ʊ)ˈsɛksɪz(ə)m/

Usage Note

  • Plural: heterosexisms

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

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.

Stolley, Kathy S. 2005. The Basics of Sociology. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Cite the Definition of Heterosexism

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “heterosexism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/heterosexism/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

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

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “heterosexism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/heterosexism/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“heterosexism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/heterosexism/>.