sexual

See also: -sexual

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin sexus

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin sexuālisbor.

English sexual

From Latin sexuālis, from sexus (“sex”), equivalent to sex +‎ -ual.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛk.ʃuː.əl/, /ˈsɛk.sju.əl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛk.ʃu.əl/, /ˈsɛk.ʃəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛkʃuːəl
• Hyphenation: sex‧ual

Adjective

sexual (comparative more sexual, superlative most sexual)

1. Arising from the fact of being male or female; pertaining to sex or gender, or to the social relations between the sexes. [from 17th c.]

   Women face sexual discrimination in the workplace.

2. (biology) Capable of sexual reproduction; sexed, sexuate. [from 19th c.]
3. Pertaining to sexual intercourse or other intimate physical contact. [from 18th c.]

   Giving oral sex is my favorite sexual act.

   • 2013 July 19, Mark Tran, “Denied an education by war”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 1:

     One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools […] as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.

4. Characterised by sexual feelings or behaviour; possessing sexuality. [from 19th c.]

   She's a very sexual woman.

   • 1994, Purity & passion, →ISBN, page 67:

     We don't often think of Jesus as a sexual person, but He certainly was not asexual. He was not just God on earth. He was fully human and […] He was sexual, single, and celibate.

5. Pertaining to sexuality as a cultural phenomenon; relating to sexual behaviour or conduct. [from 19th c.]

   a sexual innuendo

   one's sexual preferences

6. (LGBTQ, of a person, rare) Experiencing sexual attraction; not asexual.

   Synonym: allosexual

   • 2016, Kyell Gold, Black Angel, Kyell Gold, →ISBN:

     […] “You know, there are asexuals with sexual partners.” His ears flicked, and he grinned. “There's things both of us can try to do […] ”

   • 2017, T. T. Monday, Double Switch, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, →ISBN, page 98:

     Izzy tells me that at her high school the most useful distinction is not between heterosexuals and homosexuals but between those who are sexual and those who are not. The abstainers call themselves “aces,” short for “asexuals.”

7. (obsolete) Pertaining to the female sex. [17th–19th c.]

   Synonym: feminine

   • 1791 (date written), Mary Wollstonecraft, “Observations on the State of Degradation to which Woman is Reduced by Various Causes”, in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1792, →OCLC, page 112:

     [T]he inquiry is whether she have reason or not. If she have, which, for a moment, I will take for granted, she was not created merely to be the solace of man, and the sexual should not destroy the human character.

Derived terms

• androsexual
• antisexual
• asexual
• autosexual
• bisexual
• chemosexual
• cissexual
• contrasexual
• cosexual
• cybersexual
• demisexual
• ecosexual
• ephebosexual
• erotosexual
• esexual
• eusexual
• finsexual
• flexisexual
• genetic sexual attraction
• gray-sexual
• graysexual
• gynesexual
• have sexual relations
• heterosexual
• hobosexual
• homosexual
• hypersexual
• hyposexual
• intersexual
• intrasexual
• isosexual
• malsexual
• matrisexual
• minsexual
• monosexual
• multisexual
• necrosexual
• ninsexual
• non-sexual
• nonsexual
• objectum-sexual
• omnisexual
• orthosexual
• other-sexual
• pansexual
• pan-sexual
• parasexual
• patrisexual
• pedosexual
• perisexual
• persistent sexual arousal syndrome
• plurisexual
• polysexual
• pomosexual
• pornosexual
• postsexual
• presexual
• protosexual
• pseudosexual
• psychosexual
• quasisexual
• robosexual
• sapiosexual
• schizosexual
• sextual
• sexual abuse
• sexual act
• sexual anorexia
• sexual anorexic
• sexual appetite
• sexual assault
• sexual cannibalism
• sexual capital
• sexual complex
• sexual congress
• sexual dichromatism
• sexual dichronism
• sexual dimorphism
• sexual diversity
• sexual division of labour
• sexual dysfunction
• sexual education
• sexual favor
• sexual favour
• sexual fraternization
• sexual harassment
• sexual headache
• sexual identity
• sexual intercourse
• sexual inversion
• sexualism
• sexualist
• sexualistic
• sexuality
• sexualization
• sexualize
• sexual literacy
• sexually
• sexual majority
• sexual marketplace
• sexual market value
• sexual maturity
• sexual method
• sexual mimicry
• sexual minority
• sexual misconduct
• sexualness
• sexualogy
• sexual orientation
• sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts
• sexual orientation change efforts
• sexual partner
• sexual play
• sexual politics
• sexual predator
• sexual preference
• sexual reassignment
• sexual relation
• sexual relations
• sexual reproduction
• sexual revolution
• sexual selection
• sexual slavery
• sexual tension
• sexual union
• sexual violence
• sociosexual
• subsexual
• supersexual
• suprasexual
• transsexual
• trisexual
• ubersexual
• unisexual
• unsexual
• urethrosexual
• urinosexual
• vegansexual
• xenosexual
• zoosexual

 

Related terms

• sex

Descendants

• Japanese: セクシャル (sekusharu)

Translations

of or relating to having sex

• Arabic: جِنْسِيّ (jinsiyy)
• Armenian: սեռական (hy) (seṙakan)
• Azerbaijani: cinsi (az)
• Belarusian: пло́цевы (plócjevy), сэксуа́льны (seksuálʹny), палавы́ (palavý)
• Bulgarian: сексуа́лен (bg) (seksuálen), полов (bg) (polov)
• Catalan: sexual (ca), sexual (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 性的 (zh) (xìng de)

• Czech: pohlavní (cs), sexuální (cs)
• Danish: seksuel
• Dutch: seksueel (nl)
• Esperanto: seksa, amora
• Estonian: sugu-, seksuaalne (et)
• Faroese: kynsligur
• Finnish: sukupuolinen (fi), seksuaalinen (fi)
• French: sexuel (fr)
• Galician: sexual (gl)
• Georgian: სექსუალური (seksualuri)
• Greek: σεξουαλικός (el) (sexoualikós)

  Ancient: ἀφροδίσιος (aphrodísios)

• Hebrew: מִינִי (he) (miní)
• Hungarian: ivaros (hu)
• Indonesian: seksual (id)
• Italian: sessuale (it)
• Japanese: 性的 (ja) (せいてき, seiteki)
• Kazakh: жыныстық (jynystyq)
• Korean: 성적인 (seongjeog-in), 성의 (ko) (seong'ui)
• Latin: sexualis
• Macedonian: полов (polov), сексуа́лен (seksuálen)
• Malayalam: ലൈംഗിക (ml) (laiṅgika)
• Maltese: sesswali
• Northern Sami: seksuála
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: seksuell

  Nynorsk: seksuell

• Occitan: sexual (oc)
• Pashto: جنسي (ps) (jinsi)
• Persian: جنسی (fa) (jensi)
• Polish: płciowy (pl), seksualny (pl)
• Portuguese: sexual (pt)
• Romanian: sexual (ro)
• Russian: полово́й (ru) (polovój), сексуа́льный (ru) (sɛksuálʹnyj)
• Slovak: pohlavný (sk), sexuálny (sk)
• Slovene: seksualen, spolen
• Spanish: sexual (es)
• Swedish: sexuell (sv), sex- (sv)
• Tajik: ҷинсӣ (tg) (jinsi)
• Ukrainian: стате́вий (statévyj), сексуа́льний (seksuálʹnyj)

of or relating to the sex of an organism

• Armenian: սեռային (hy) (seṙayin)
• Belarusian: пло́цевы (plócjevy), палавы́ (palavý)
• Bulgarian: полов (bg) (polov)
• Catalan: sexual (ca)
• Czech: pohlavní (cs), sexuální (cs)
• Danish: køns- (da), kønslig
• Estonian: sugu-
• Faroese: kynsligur
• Finnish: sukupuolinen (fi), sukupuoli- (fi)
• Georgian: სქესობრივი (skesobrivi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: γενετήσιος (genetḗsios)

• Hungarian: nemi (hu), szexuális (hu)
• Icelandic: kynferðisleg
• Indonesian: seksual (id)
• Macedonian: полов (polov)
• Pashto: جنسي (ps) (jinsi)
• Polish: płciowy (pl)
• Portuguese: sexuado (pt)
• Romanian: sexual (ro)
• Russian: полово́й (ru) (polovój)
• Slovak: pohlavný (sk)
• Slovene: spolen
• Swedish: sexuell (sv), könlig, köns- (sv)
• Ukrainian: стате́вий (statévyj)
• Vietnamese: tình dục (vi)

of or relating to sexuality

• Armenian: սեռական (hy) (seṙakan)
• Catalan: sexual (ca)
• Czech: pohlavní (cs), sexuální (cs)
• Dutch: seksueel (nl)
• Faroese: kynsligur
• Finnish: sukupuolinen (fi), seksuaalinen (fi)
• Greek: σεξουαλικός (el) (sexoualikós)

  Ancient: ἀφροδίσιος (aphrodísios)

• Hungarian: nemi (hu), szexuális (hu)
• Ido: sexuala (io)
• Japanese: 性的 (ja) (せいてき, seiteki)
• Macedonian: сексуа́лен (seksuálen)
• Malay: seksual (ms)
• Malayalam: ലൈംഗിക (ml) (laiṅgika)
• Maltese: sesswali
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: seksuell

  Nynorsk: seksuell

• Pashto: جنسي (ps) (jinsi)
• Polish: seksualny (pl)
• Portuguese: sexual (pt)
• Romanian: sexual (ro)
• Russian: полово́й (ru) (polovój), сексуа́льный (ru) (sɛksuálʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: gnèitheach
• Slovak: sexuálny (sk)
• Slovene: seksualen
• Swedish: sexuell (sv)

of or relating to sexual orientation, identity or preferences

• Danish: seksuel
• Greek: σεξουαλικός (el) (sexoualikós)
• Portuguese: sexual (pt)
• Russian: сексуа́льный (ru) (sɛksuálʹnyj)
• Slovak: sexuálny (sk)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} جِنْسِيّ (jinsiyy)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} seksueel (nl), ^{(please verify)} seksuele (nl)
• French: ^{(please verify)} sexuel (fr)
• German: ^{(please verify)} sexuell (de)
• Greek: ^{(please verify)} γενετήσιος (el) (genetísios), ^{(please verify)} ερωτικός (el) (erotikós)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} nemi (hu), ^{(please verify)} szexuális (hu)
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} gnéasach
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} sessuale (it)
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} seksualus, ^{(please verify)} lytinis, ^{(please verify)} lytiškas
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} جنسی (fa) (jensi)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} sexual (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} seksualni
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} sexual (es)
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} sexuell (sv)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} లైంగిక (te) (laiṅgika)

See also

• See also Thesaurus:copulation

Noun

sexual (plural sexuals)

1. (biology) A species which reproduces by sexual rather than asexual reproduction, or a member of such a species.

   Synonym: eusexual

   Antonym: asexual

2. (LGBTQ) A person who experiences sexual attraction, a person who has interest in or desire for sex (especially as contrasted with an asexual).

   Synonym: allosexual

   Antonym: asexual

   • 2012, Issues in Sexuality and Sexual Behavior Research: 2011 Edition, ScholarlyEditions, →ISBN:

     The findings suggest that asexuality is best conceptualized as a lack of sexual attraction; however, asexuals varied greatly in their experience of sexual response and behavior. Asexuals partnered with sexuals acknowledged having to 'negotiate' sexual activity.

   • 2015, Mark Carrigan, Kristina Gupta, Todd G. Morrison, Asexuality and Sexual Normativity: An Anthology, Routledge, →ISBN, page 11:

     In this article we use absence of sexual attraction to others as a definition but recognise that this definition is contested. […] [A survey] was also advertised online (without explicitly mentioning asexuality in the advert), thus aiming to reach a mixture of asexuals and sexuals.

Further reading

• “sexual”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “sexual”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• aluxes

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin sexuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seɡˈswal/, [seɣ̞ˈswal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: se‧xual

Adjective

sexual (epicene, plural sexuales)

1. sexual

Related terms

• sexu

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sexuālis. First attested in 1839.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [sək.suˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [sek.suˈal]

Adjective

sexual m or f (masculine and feminine plural sexuals)

1. sexual

Derived terms

• assetjament sexual
• orientació sexual
• sexualitat
• sexualment

Related terms

• sexe

Further reading

• “sexual” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “sexual” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “sexual” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

From Latin sexuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛksuˈal/ [s̺ɛk.s̺uˈɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: se‧xu‧al

Adjective

sexual m or f (plural sexuais)

1. sexual

Derived terms

• sexualidade
• sexualmente

Related terms

• sexo

Further reading

• “sexual”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2024

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sexuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɛksuˈaːl/, /sɛksuˈaːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: se‧xu‧al

Adjective

sexual (strong nominative masculine singular sexualer, comparative sexualer, superlative am sexualsten)

1. (uncommon) sexual

Declension

Positive forms of sexual

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist sexual	sie ist sexual	es ist sexual	sie sind sexual
strong declension (without article)	nominative	sexualer	sexuale	sexuales	sexuale
	genitive	sexualen	sexualer	sexualen	sexualer
	dative	sexualem	sexualer	sexualem	sexualen
	accusative	sexualen	sexuale	sexuales	sexuale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der sexuale	die sexuale	das sexuale	die sexualen
	genitive	des sexualen	der sexualen	des sexualen	der sexualen
	dative	dem sexualen	der sexualen	dem sexualen	den sexualen
	accusative	den sexualen	die sexuale	das sexuale	die sexualen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein sexualer	eine sexuale	ein sexuales	(keine) sexualen
	genitive	eines sexualen	einer sexualen	eines sexualen	(keiner) sexualen
	dative	einem sexualen	einer sexualen	einem sexualen	(keinen) sexualen
	accusative	einen sexualen	eine sexuale	ein sexuales	(keine) sexualen

Comparative forms of sexual

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist sexualer	sie ist sexualer	es ist sexualer	sie sind sexualer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	sexualerer	sexualere	sexualeres	sexualere
	genitive	sexualeren	sexualerer	sexualeren	sexualerer
	dative	sexualerem	sexualerer	sexualerem	sexualeren
	accusative	sexualeren	sexualere	sexualeres	sexualere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der sexualere	die sexualere	das sexualere	die sexualeren
	genitive	des sexualeren	der sexualeren	des sexualeren	der sexualeren
	dative	dem sexualeren	der sexualeren	dem sexualeren	den sexualeren
	accusative	den sexualeren	die sexualere	das sexualere	die sexualeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein sexualerer	eine sexualere	ein sexualeres	(keine) sexualeren
	genitive	eines sexualeren	einer sexualeren	eines sexualeren	(keiner) sexualeren
	dative	einem sexualeren	einer sexualeren	einem sexualeren	(keinen) sexualeren
	accusative	einen sexualeren	eine sexualere	ein sexualeres	(keine) sexualeren

Superlative forms of sexual

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am sexualsten	sie ist am sexualsten	es ist am sexualsten	sie sind am sexualsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	sexualster	sexualste	sexualstes	sexualste
	genitive	sexualsten	sexualster	sexualsten	sexualster
	dative	sexualstem	sexualster	sexualstem	sexualsten
	accusative	sexualsten	sexualste	sexualstes	sexualste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der sexualste	die sexualste	das sexualste	die sexualsten
	genitive	des sexualsten	der sexualsten	des sexualsten	der sexualsten
	dative	dem sexualsten	der sexualsten	dem sexualsten	den sexualsten
	accusative	den sexualsten	die sexualste	das sexualste	die sexualsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein sexualster	eine sexualste	ein sexualstes	(keine) sexualsten
	genitive	eines sexualsten	einer sexualsten	eines sexualsten	(keiner) sexualsten
	dative	einem sexualsten	einer sexualsten	einem sexualsten	(keinen) sexualsten
	accusative	einen sexualsten	eine sexualste	ein sexualstes	(keine) sexualsten

Derived terms

• sexualisieren

Related terms

• sexuell

Further reading

• “sexual” in Duden online
• “sexual” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin sexuālis.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Languedoc):

  (file)

Adjective

sexual m (feminine singular sexuala, masculine plural sexuals, feminine plural sexualas)

1. sexual

Derived terms

• sexualitat

Related terms

• sèxe

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin sexuālis. By surface analysis, sexo +‎ -ual.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /sek.suˈaw/ [sek.sʊˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /sekˈswaw/ [sekˈswaʊ̯], /se.ki.suˈaw/ [se.ki.sʊˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /se.kiˈswaw/ [se.kiˈswaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /sek.suˈaw/ [sek.sʊˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /sekˈswaw/ [sekˈswaʊ̯], /se.ki.suˈaw/ [se.ki.sʊˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /se.kiˈswaw/ [se.kiˈswaʊ̯]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /sek.suˈaw/ [sek.sʊˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /sekˈswaw/ [sekˈswaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɛˈkswal/ [sɛˈkswaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɛˈkswal/ [sɛˈkswaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɛˈkswa.li/

• (Northeast Brazil) IPA^(key): /sɛ.ksuˈaw/
• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: se‧xu‧al

Adjective

sexual m or f (plural sexuais, comparable, comparative mais sexual, superlative o mais sexual or sexualíssimo)

1. sexual

Derived terms

• sexualidade
• sexualmente

Further reading

• “sexual”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin sexuālis. By surface analysis, sex +‎ -ual.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [seksuˈal]

Adjective

sexual m or n (feminine singular sexuală, masculine plural sexuali, feminine and neuter plural sexuale)

1. sexual

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	sexual		sexuală		sexuali	sexuale
	definite	sexualul		sexuala		sexualii	sexualele
genitive- dative	indefinite	sexual		sexuale		sexuali	sexuale
	definite	sexualului		sexualei		sexualelor	sexualilor

References

• sexual in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin sexuālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seɡˈswal/ [seɣ̞ˈswal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: se‧xual

Adjective

sexual m or f (masculine and feminine plural sexuales)

1. sexual (pertaining to the sex of an organism)
2. sexual (pertaining to having sex)
3. sexual (pertaining to sexual orientation or identity)
4. sexual (characterized by sexual feelings or behaviors)

Derived terms

• acosador sexual
• acoso sexual
• acto sexual
• agresión sexual
• carácter sexual
• división sexual del trabajo
• enfermedad de transmisión sexual
• identidad sexual
• intersexual
• juguete sexual
• minoría sexual
• orientación sexual
• relación sexual
• reproducción sexual
• sexualidad
• sexualmente
• símbolo sexual
• tensión sexual
• trabajador sexual
• trabajo sexual
• transexual
• turismo sexual
• turista sexual
• vida sexual

 

Related terms

• sexo

 

Further reading

• “sexual”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10