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

Still, the scholar cautions against labeling James—who fathered seven children with his wife, Anne of Denmark—as gay or bisexual, as these terms only came into use centuries after the king’s lifetime. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024

However, gay and bisexual men and certain other groups have a higher risk because the virus started spreading in this community first. —Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024

Scruff is a platform commonly used by gay and bisexual men seeking to meet up with other men, officials said. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024

Being bisexual simply means that the person has the capacity to be attracted to people of different genders. —Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2024

But for the bisexual Jackie, this is mostly transactional. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2024

Gay and bisexual men were also more likely to have reported STDs. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024

Data shows that bisexual adults were the second largest group (following those identifying as straight) to report long COVID symptoms, with 8.5 million having symptoms last 3 months or longer. —Sara Chernikoff Janet Loehrke usa Today, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024

Ramírez, who is bisexual and came out as non-binary in 2020, had pitched making her character bisexual to showrunner Shonda Rhimes. —Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 17 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

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