lesbian

noun

A homosexual woman, one who is exclusively sexually or romantically attracted to other women.

(uncommon) A female animal that performs courtship, pairing or mating behavior with other female animals.

(countable) A native or inhabitant of Lesbos.

(linguistics, uncountable) The variety of Aeolic Greek spoken on Lesbos from about 800 to 300 b.c., best known from the writings of Sappho and Alcaeus of Mytilene.

(countable) Alternative letter-case form of lesbian (“gay woman”). [A homosexual woman, one who is exclusively sexually or romantically attracted to other women.]

(historical) A sweet, mild wine made on Lesbos in ancient times.

(now rare) Alternative letter-case form of Lesbian (“native or inhabitant of Lesbos.”). [(countable) A native or inhabitant of Lesbos.]

verb

(informal, nonstandard, ambitransitive) To (cause to) take part in lesbian sex, or other lesbian activity.

adjective

(of a woman) Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.

(of a woman, loosely) Preferring primarily women as romantic or sexual partners.

(of a romantic or sexual act or relationship) Between two or more women; homosexual, gay.

(especially of an institution or group) Intended for lesbians.

Of or pertaining to the island of Lesbos.

(linguistics) Of or pertaining to the Lesbian variety of Aeolic Greek.

Alternative letter-case form of lesbian (“of women: gay”). [(of a woman) Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.]

(archaic) Amatory; erotic.

(now rare) Alternative letter-case form of Lesbian (“of or pertaining to the island of Lesbos”). [Of or pertaining to the island of Lesbos.]

Roots

lesboslesbian- · Greek · of Lesbos

Synonyms for lesbian

tribaden sapphicadj gayadj homophilen homosexualadj bisexualadj queeradj butchn homoeroticadj homon

Synonyms & related words for lesbian

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of lesbian — including tribade, sapphic, gay, homophile, homosexual, bisexual. 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 lesbian

Explore words related to lesbian — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include sapphism, bisexually, bisexualism, lesbianism, heterosexual, transgender, hetero, tribadism. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for lesbian

Common synonyms for lesbian include tribade, sapphic, gay, homophile, homosexual, bisexual, queer, butch — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does lesbian come from?

The word lesbian breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root lesbian-, from Greek lesbos (“of Lesbos”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.