Word
bisexual
Phoneticsbi·sex·u·al, stress on the second syllable
US/ˌbaɪˈsɛkʃuəɫ/
UK/baɪsˈɛkʃuːəl/
Definitions
01sexual orientation
B1 · Intermediate
adj. attracted to people of your own gender and other genders.
adj. sexually or romantically attracted to both one's own gender and other genders.
“She came out as bisexual to her friends during their first year of university.”
“The survey aimed to capture the specific healthcare challenges faced by bisexual individuals compared to their monosexual peers.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02biology
C1 · Advanced Science Technical
adj. having both male and female parts in one living thing, like some plants.
adj. possessing both male and female reproductive organs; hermaphroditic.
“Many garden flowers are bisexual because they have both pollen and seeds in the same bloom.”
“In botanical terms, a bisexual flower contains both functional stamens and a functional carpel, allowing for various reproductive strategies.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03a person
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. a person who is attracted to more than one gender.
n. an individual who identifies as having a sexual orientation toward more than one gender.
“The community centre offers support groups for bisexuals and other queer people.”
“The study explored how bisexuals navigate social spaces that often assume a binary of straight or gay.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From bi- + -sexual, via the French bisexuel (bi-, sexuel). Attested since 1792 as a synonym in botany for "hermaphroditic" ("having male and female parts"). First used of sexuality in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's 1886 Psychopathia Sexualis (in German) and Charles Gilbert Chaddock's 1892 English translation thereof, due to the theory that people were naturally attracted to the opposite sex and so the brain or mind of a person attracted to "both" sexes (or to the same sex) must be partly of another sex and thus "hermaphroditic".
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/bisexual