bisexual

adjective

bi·​sex·​u·​al (ˌ)bī-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wəl 

-shəl

1

a

see usage paragraph below : of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one's same sex and of the opposite sex

also : of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one's own gender identity and of other gender identities

b

biology : possessing characters of both sexes and especially both male and female reproductive structures : hermaphroditic

Usually, the sexes are separate but some plants bear bisexual flowers at different times of the year and these may suddenly become exclusively female.

—Stephen K-M. Tim

2

: of, relating to, involving, or characteristic of both sexes

A number of insects combine the advantages of parthenogenesis with those of bisexual reproduction using an alternation of generations.

—R. F. Chapman

The Bionic Woman of the television serial of the seventies … has the bisexual name of Jamie Summers.

—Marina Warner

bisexual noun

bisexuality

ˌbī-ˌsek-shə-ˈwa-lə-tē 

noun

bisexually

(ˌ)bī-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wə-lē 

-sh(ə-)lē

adverb

Usage of Bisexual

While educational and advocacy groups tend to define bisexual broadly as applying to sexual or romantic attraction to members of one's own gender identity as well as to members of other gender identities, the older, narrower application describing attraction to male and female people persists among English speakers, aided, no doubt, by the word's morphology: the prefix bi- means "two." Note that while the broader meaning of bisexual can be understood as occupying the same semantic territory as pansexual, there are people who identify as one but not the other, as well as people who identify as both.

Examples of bisexual in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid the headlines that quickly resulted, Camp posted pink, blue and purple hearts on her Story, an apparent tribute to the colors of the bisexual flag. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025

There weren’t examples of a gay life, and there definitely weren’t examples of bisexual women. —Merve Emre, New Yorker, 17 June 2025

Veering into a midlife crisis, the bisexual Sparrow and her partner, Stuart, agree to pursue a polyamorous entanglement with Sparrow’s old crush, Naomi. —Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 16 June 2025

In the 90s, many feared what the rise in bisexual visibility might portend. —Myisha Battle, Time, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for bisexual

• sexual
• unisexual

Kids Definition

bisexual

adjective

bi·​sex·​u·​al (ˈ)bī-ˈseksh-(ə-)wəl 

-ˈsek-shəl

1

: possessing characters of or having sexual desire for both sexes

2

: of, relating to, or involving two sexes

bisexual noun

bisexuality

ˌbī-ˌsek-shə-ˈwal-ət-ē 

noun

Medical Definition

bisexual

1 of 2 adjective

bi·​sex·​u·​al (ˈ)bī-ˈseksh-(ə-)wəl, -ˈsek-shəl 

1

a

: possessing characters of both sexes and especially both male and female reproductive structures : hermaphroditic

b

: of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to individuals of one's same sex and of the opposite sex

also : of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one's own gender identity and of other gender identities

2

: of, relating to, or involving two sexes

bisexual reproduction

bisexuality

ˌbī-ˌsek-shə-ˈwal-ət-ē 

noun

plural bisexualities

bisexually

(ˈ)bī-ˈseksh-(ə-)wə-lē, -(ə-)lē 

adverb

bisexual

2 of 2 noun

: a bisexual individual