homosexuality

noun ho·mo·sex·u·al·i·ty \ ˌhō-mə-ˌsek-shə-ˈwa-lə-tē \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of homosexuality

1 : sexual attraction or the tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex : the quality or state of being homosexual

2 : sexual activity with another of the same sex

See homosexuality defined for kids

Recent Examples of homosexuality from the Web

Kevin Dietsch/Pool/Getty Images This week, the crown prince of an absolute monarchy — a country where dissent and homosexuality alike are punishable by death — came to visit the United States.

— zack beauchamp, Vox, "America is fawning over Saudi Arabia’s repressive dictator," 6 Apr. 2018
For example, Bayard Rustin was forced to resign from the SCLC after African-American Congressman Adam Clayton Powell threatened to expose Rustin’s homosexuality and his past association with the Communist Party USA.

— jason miller, Smithsonian, "In His Speeches, MLK Carefully Evoked the Poetry of Langston Hughes," 3 Apr. 2018
Like many of his previous novels, The Sparsholt Affair tracks changing attitudes toward homosexuality in England.

— manuel betancourt, Longreads, "Bending the Straight Line of Queer History," 29 Mar. 2018
Transgender people face greater peril in more conservative areas of Pakistan, where Islamic extremists associate them with homosexuality and prostitution.

— zaheeruddin babar and zarar khan, The Christian Science Monitor, "Pakistan's first transgender newscaster breaks barriers," 28 Mar. 2018
Pornography and homosexuality would be outlawed, too.

— hannah sparling, Cincinnati.com, "Neo-Nazis have set up shop here. This is why.," 21 Mar. 2018
The film became known as an open protest against Britain’s laws forbidding homosexuality, which remained a crime among men in England and Wales until 1967.

— sara aridi, New York Times, "What’s on TV Tuesday: ‘Adam Ruins Everything’ and ‘The Standups’," 20 Mar. 2018
Epstein, as a gay Jewish man living in 1960s England where homosexuality was a felony, suffered from loneliness and a crushing desire to be one of the boys and belong.

— lesley goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story' in the Works as Bravo TV Series," 9 Mar. 2018
That has to go back to when drag and homosexuality become connected.

— wilder davies, Time, "RuPaul’s Drag Race and What People Get Wrong About the History of Drag," 9 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of homosexuality

1892

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

homosexuality

noun ho·mo·sex·u·al·i·ty \ ˌhō-mə-ˌsek-shə-ˈwal-ət-ē \

medical Definition of homosexuality

plural homosexualities

1 : the quality or state of being homosexual

2 : erotic activity with another of the same sex

Learn More about homosexuality

See words that rhyme with homosexuality Spanish Central: Translation of homosexuality Nglish: Translation of homosexuality for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of homosexuality for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about homosexuality

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homosexuality

Definition of homosexuality

Recent Examples of homosexuality from the Web

First Known Use of homosexuality

Medical Dictionary

homosexuality

medical Definition of homosexuality

Learn More about homosexuality

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homosexuality

Definition of homosexuality

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First Known Use of homosexuality

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homosexuality

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