bisexual

adjective bi·sex·u·al \ (ˌ)bī-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wəl , -shəl \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Definition of bisexual

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

bisexual flowers

b : of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction to members of both sexes; also : engaging in sexual activity with partners of more than one gender

2 : of, relating to, or involving both sexes

bisexual reproduction

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bisexual

noun

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bisexuality

play \ˌbī-ˌsek-shə-ˈwa-lə-tē\ noun

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bisexually

play \(ˌ)bī-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wə-lē, -sh(ə-)lē\ adverb

See bisexual defined for English-language learners

See bisexual defined for kids

Recent Examples of bisexual from the Web

This isn’t the first time Urie — who married wife Sarah in 2013 — has talked about being pansexual, another term for being bisexual or fluid.

— jeff nelson, PEOPLE.com, "Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie Comes Out as Pansexual: 'I'm Definitely Attracted to Men'," 6 July 2018
Several countries have constitutions that explicitly prohibit the discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: South Africa, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nepal, Kosovo, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, and Fiji.

— renae reints, Fortune, "Being Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Is a Crime in These Places," 26 June 2018
Read more: Steven might be gay, or bisexual or something else altogether along the very wide sexuality spectrum.

— amy dickinson, Detroit Free Press, "Woman feels hoodwinked by closeted man," 24 June 2018
The series follows Isobel (Zoe Chao), an aspiring writer in her early 30s who comes out as bisexual after cheating on her boyfriend with a woman.

— patrick ryan, USA TODAY, "Coming out is anything but tragic in funny new LGBTQ movies, TV shows," 21 June 2018
Amandla previously identified as bisexual and later pansexual in recent years.

— tamara fuentes, Seventeen, "Amandla Stenberg Comes Out As Gay in New Interview," 18 June 2018
Posters urging citizens to report residents suspected of living in the U.S. illegally to the federal government were posted last weekend in downtown Tacoma, including on the door of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resource center.

— craig sailor, The Seattle Times, "White-supremacist posters in Tacoma urge reporting of undocumented residents," 4 July 2018
The dinner was part of a wider push in Howard County to bring more visibility and engagement to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

— kate magill, Howard County Times, "Howard's LGBTQ groups planning first Pride parade, community outreach," 20 June 2018
But this event is also about raising awareness of issues confronting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

— lori higgins, Detroit Free Press, "Motor City Pride Festival: Rainbows and messages of equality," 9 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bisexual.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of bisexual

1793

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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BISEXUAL Defined for English Language Learners

bisexual

adjective

Definition of bisexual for English Language Learners

: sexually attracted to both men and women
: having both male and female sex parts
: relating to or involving two sexes

Medical Dictionary

bisexual

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

medical Definition of bisexual

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

b : of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to be sexually atttracted toward individuals of both sexes : engaging in sexual activity with partners of either sex

2 : of, relating to, or involving two sexes