heterosexuality
Attraction to opposites
Heterosexuality is sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex, or the condition of being heterosexual.
The term emerged in the late 19th century alongside homosexuality as sexuality became a subject of scientific study.
Her heterosexuality was never in question.
In contemporary usage, heterosexuality is often contrasted with other sexual orientations in discussions of identity and social norms.
Formal union between partners
- datingPursuing romantic connections
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- partnershipShared business arrangement
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
spouse · husband · wife · monogamy · cohabitation · fidelity · divorce · wedding
Intense wanting
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
- passionIntense emotional drive
- lustIntense carnal appetite
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
crush · longing · yearning · ardor · flirting · courtship · seduction · allure
Position relative to surroundings
- self-identificationClaiming an identity label
- cisgenderBirth-sex-identified
- straightNot curved or crooked
- self-conceptOne's own identity perception
self-perception · self-awareness · psychology · sexuality · personhood · label · questioning · identification
Copying or procreation
- fertilizationGamete fusion creating zygote
- procreationGenerating biological offspring
- offspringBiological descendants produced
- gametesReproductive cells for fusion
genetics · male · female · sex · chromosomes · hormones · estrogen · testosterone
Preference for existing institutions
- patriarchyMale-dominated social order
- chastityAbstaining from sexual activity
- procreationGenerating biological offspring
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
lineage · kinship · customs · rituals · religious · conventional · complementarity · traditionalism
Required, not optional
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- presumptionBelief held without proof
- defaultPreset standard option
- mainstreamDominant cultural current
hegemony · assumptions · conformity · institutionalization · invisibility · unexamined · taken-for-granted · dominance
marriage
Formal union between partners
- datingPursuing romantic connections
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- partnershipShared business arrangement
engagement · spouse · husband · wife · monogamy · cohabitation · fidelity · divorce · wedding · couples
desire
Intense wanting
infatuation · crush · longing · yearning · ardor · flirting · courtship · seduction · allure · enticement
orientation
Position relative to surroundings
- self-identificationClaiming an identity label
- cisgenderBirth-sex-identified
- straightNot curved or crooked
self-concept · self-perception · self-awareness · psychology · sexuality · personhood · label · questioning · identification
reproduction
Copying or procreation
- fertilizationGamete fusion creating zygote
- procreationGenerating biological offspring
- offspringBiological descendants produced
gametes · genetics · male · female · sex · chromosomes · hormones · estrogen · testosterone · anatomy
conservatism
Preference for existing institutions
- patriarchyMale-dominated social order
- chastityAbstaining from sexual activity
- procreationGenerating biological offspring
heritage · lineage · kinship · customs · rituals · religious · conventional · complementarity · traditionalism · ancestry
compulsory
Required, not optional
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- presumptionBelief held without proof
- defaultPreset standard option
mainstream · hegemony · assumptions · conformity · institutionalization · invisibility · unexamined · taken-for-granted · dominance · centering
- sexualityerotica, bisexual, sensuality, lust, eroticism
- monosexualgay, lesbian, straight, homosexuality
- psychosexualitylibido, sexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, eroticism
- attractionattraction, chemistry, allure, draw, fascination
- male sexualitypenis, erection, testicles, libido, ejaculation
heterosexualityhomosexuality
Same-sex romantic orientation
gayness · lesbianism · same-sex attraction · queerness · gay identity
sexual, heterosexual, heterosexism, hetero, heterosexuals, heteronormativity, heterosexually, heteronormative