heterosexual
adj. B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌhɛtɝoʊˈsɛkʃəwəɫ// UK //hˌɛtɹəʊsˈɛkʃuːəl// het·ero·sex·u·al
adj. describing someone who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of the opposite sex or gender.
adj. characterised by sexual or romantic attraction to persons of the opposite sex or gender. Often used in medical or sociological contexts to describe sexual orientation.
Most people in the survey identified as heterosexual.
The study examined the social dynamics of both heterosexual and same-sex couples in urban environments.
From hetero- + -sexual. Earliest citation from 1892, in C.G. Craddock's translation of Krafft-Ebbing's Psychopathia Sexualis.
Usage
Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be' or 'identify as', or attributively before nouns like 'couple' or 'relationship'.