heterosexual
Attracted to opposite
Heterosexual describes sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex, or a person with such attraction.
The word emerged in the late nineteenth century alongside homosexual as clinical terminology, though both have since become standard: Are you heterosexual or gay?
The informal shortening is hetero.
Straight is more common in casual speech.
Not curved or crooked
- sexualityErotic nature and preferences
- LGBTQSexual and gender minorities
- spectrumContinuous range of values
- Kinsey scaleSexuality rating system
homosexual · bisexual · asexual · pansexual · queer · questioning · coming out · ally
Seeking another's romantic favor
- datingPursuing romantic connections
- romanceLove and its excitement
- marriageFormal union between partners
- spouseMarried partner
husband · wife · boyfriend · girlfriend · couple · engagement · wedding · fiance
Assumed universal straightness
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- dominant cultureSociety's prevailing belief system
- patriarchyMale-dominated social order
- gender rolesExpected behaviors by sex
nuclear family · family values · conformity · social construct · status quo · cultural norms · stereotypes · default
Copying or procreation
- procreationGenerating biological offspring
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
- offspringBiological descendants produced
pregnancy · conception · mating · evolutionary · species · genetics · dimorphism · hormones
Intense wanting
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
- passionIntense emotional drive
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
- crushCompress with force
affection · flirting · love · admirer · sweetheart · arousal · compatibility · magnetism
straight
Not curved or crooked
- sexualityErotic nature and preferences
- LGBTQSexual and gender minorities
- spectrumContinuous range of values
Kinsey scale · homosexual · bisexual · asexual · pansexual · queer · questioning · coming out · ally · cisgender
courtship
Seeking another's romantic favor
- datingPursuing romantic connections
- romanceLove and its excitement
- marriageFormal union between partners
spouse · husband · wife · boyfriend · girlfriend · couple · engagement · wedding · fiance · fiancee
heteronormativity
Assumed universal straightness
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- dominant cultureSociety's prevailing belief system
- patriarchyMale-dominated social order
gender roles · nuclear family · family values · conformity · social construct · status quo · cultural norms · stereotypes · default · mainstream
reproduction
Copying or procreation
- procreationGenerating biological offspring
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- chromosomesGene-bearing nuclear structures
offspring · pregnancy · conception · mating · evolutionary · species · genetics · dimorphism · hormones
desire
Intense wanting
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
- passionIntense emotional drive
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
crush · affection · flirting · love · admirer · sweetheart · arousal · compatibility · magnetism · allure
- sexual identitiesgay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer
- identityidentity, personal identity, self, selfhood, self-expression
- sexualityerotica, bisexual, sensuality, lust, eroticism
- identitiesalter ego, gender, persona, sexuality, alias
- monosexualgay, lesbian, straight, homosexuality
- LGBTQ+gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer
heterosexualnon-heterosexual
Not exclusively opposite-sex attracted
queer · LGBTQ+ · gender non-conforming · gender nonconforming · transgender