homosexual

ho·mo·sex·u·al

H h

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uh l or, esp. British, -seks-yoo-]
- /ˌhoʊ məˈsɛk ʃu əl or, esp. British, -ˈsɛks yu-/
- /ˌhəʊ.məˈsek.sju.əl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uh l or, esp. British, -seks-yoo-]
- /ˌhoʊ məˈsɛk ʃu əl or, esp. British, -ˈsɛks yu-/

Definitions of homosexual word

adjective homosexual Older Use: Sometimes Disparaging. sexually attracted to members of one's own sex: homosexual students. 1
adjective homosexual Older Use: Sometimes Disparaging. of or relating to sexual desire or behavior directed toward members of one's own sex: the homosexual subculture. 1
adjective homosexual Archaic. of, relating to, or noting the same sex: pregnant with homosexual twins. 1
noun homosexual Older Use: Sometimes Disparaging. a homosexual person. 1
noun homosexual Up until 1986, homosexuality was listed in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), psychiatry's standard reference on the classification of mental illness. People aware of this former categorization may feel that the term homosexual stills carries a negative connotation. And some feel that this word places undue emphasis on sexual activity, or that it sounds overly clinical. In fact, homosexual as an adjective and noun is somewhat dated, except in medical and other formal contexts; the term gay has mostly replaced it. People who still use homosexual are usually unaware that the term may be a sensitive one, although some do use it with intent to cause offense. However, not all members of the gay community object to it. See also gay. 1
noun homosexual (of a person) sexually attracted to people of one's own sex. 1

See all 16 definitions of homosexual

Information block about the term

Origin of homosexual

First appearance:

before 1890

One of the 20% newest English words

First recorded in 1890-95; homo- + sexual

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Homosexual

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Homosexual

homosexual popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 83% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

homosexual usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for homosexual

adj homosexual

lesbian — of or relating to Lesbos.
gay — of, relating to, or exhibiting sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one's own sex; homosexual: a gay couple. Antonyms: straight.
homoerotic — a tendency to be sexually aroused by a member of the same sex.
homophile — a homosexual.
queer — strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different; singular: a queer notion of justice.

All 5 Synonyms of homosexual

Antonyms for homosexual

adjective homosexual

intersexual — existing between the sexes; done or used by both sexes: an intersexual tennis competition.
bisexual — Someone who is bisexual is sexually attracted to both men and women.
gynandrous — having stamens and pistils united in a column, as in orchids.
bi — Bi means the same as bisexual.
hermaphroditic — an individual in which reproductive organs of both sexes are present. Compare pseudohermaphrodite.

All 6 Antonyms of homosexual