homosexual

[hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uhl, -seks-yoo-]

adjective

1. Often Disparaging and Offensive.,  sexually attracted to people of one's own sex or gender; gay.

   homosexual couples.

2. Often Disparaging and Offensive.,  of or relating to sexual desire or behavior directed toward people of one's own sex or gender.

3. Archaic.,  of, relating to, or noting the same sex.

   She gave birth to homosexual twins.

noun

1. Often Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. a person, especially a man, who is sexually attracted to people of the same sex or gender.

   2. a person, especially a man, who is sexually attracted exclusively to people of the same sex or gender.

homosexual

/ ˌhɒm-, ˌhəʊməʊˈsɛksjʊəl /

noun

1. a person who is sexually attracted to members of the same sex

adjective

1. of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality

2. of or relating to the same sex

Usage Alert

Up until 1973, 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 feel that the term homosexual still carries a negative connotation. And many feel that this word places undue emphasis on sexual activity, or that it sounds overly clinical. In fact, homosexual as an adjective and noun has been mostly replaced by gay except in medical or other formal contexts. People who still use homosexual are usually unaware that the term is 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.

Other Word Forms

• antihomosexual adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of homosexual¹

First recorded in 1890–95; homo- + sexual

Example Sentences

He faced much criticism during his career, including in 2015 when he said a gay man "does not need to dress homosexual".

From BBC

The “Don’t Say Gay” bill has antecedents in Johns’ 1950s devotion to the theory of “homosexual recruitment,” or the idea that innocent white children can be corrupted and somehow made queer.

From Salon

Another man says the drugs disinhibited homosexual feelings he had not previously explored.

From BBC

I was taught to be suspicious of all outsiders, but there were a few enemies he particularly liked to single out: feminists, homosexuals and communists.

From Salon

“The police were arresting people for anything remotely homosexual. We had them coming in with guns pretending to be looking for someone in a white T-shirt just so they could walk around.”

From Los Angeles Times