heterosexual

noun

A heterosexual person, or other heterosexual organism.

adjective

(of a person or other animal) Sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.

(of a romantic or sexual act or relationship) Between two people of different sex.

(obsolete, medicine) Having a sexual desire for the opposite sex seen as unhealthy, including a proclivity for nonreproductive sex.

Roots

heteroshetero- · Greek · other, different sexus-sex · Latin · sex, gender

Synonyms for heterosexual

straightadj sexualadj gamicadj sexedadj procreativeadj

Synonyms & related words for heterosexual

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of heterosexual — including straight, sexual, gamic, sexed, procreative. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to heterosexual

Explore words related to heterosexual — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include heterosexually, hetero, heterosexuality, homosexual, homophile, homosexually, gay, bisexual. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for heterosexual

Common synonyms for heterosexual include straight, sexual, gamic, sexed, procreative — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does heterosexual come from?

The word heterosexual breaks down into 2 roots of Greek and Latin origin: hetero-, from Greek heteros (“other, different”); and -sex, from Latin sexus (“sex, gender”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.