heterosexuality

Definition of Heterosexuality

(noun) Emotional, physical, romantic, or sexual attraction to members of the opposite sex based on a binary of female and male.

Heterosexuality Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: het·er·o·sex·u·al·i·ty

Audio Pronunciation

Usage Notes

• Plural: hetersexualities
• Heterosexuality is compared and contrasted to asexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality, and pansexuality.
• Also called heterosexualism.
• An (noun) heterosexual lives (adverb) heterosexually.

Related Quotation

• “Rearranging the home might be part of rethinking how heterosexual couples relate. And the three-piece suite is one example of how everyday objects might reinforce ideas about men as the head of the household. Besides the sofa there might be a large ‘dad’s chair’ given prime position in the living room and a smaller ‘mum’s chair’ in the corner, reflecting traditional ideas about the proper role of women as self-sacrificing and devoted to making men comfortable. These are rather flippant examples among what were serious attempts to think critically about relationships between women and men as relationships of power” (Worrel 2001:66–67).

Additional Information

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

Related Terms

• ascribed status
• discrimination
• gender
• role
• sex
• status
• stereotype

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Reference

Worell, Judith, ed. 2001. Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Works Consulted

Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.

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

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

Kornblum, William. 2008. Sociology in a Changing World. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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/).

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

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Thorpe, Christopher, Chris Yuill, Mitchell Hobbs, Sarah Tomley, and Marcus Weeks. 2015. The Sociology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained. London: Dorling Kindersley.

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 Heterosexuality

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “heterosexuality.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 16, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/heterosexuality/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

heterosexuality. (2016). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/heterosexuality/

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “heterosexuality.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/heterosexuality/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“heterosexuality.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/heterosexuality/>.