Standard Lemma guide

heterosexism

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The assumption made when relating to others that everyone is heterosexual.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Discrimination or prejudice in favor of heterosexuals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

discrimination in favor of heterosexual and against homosexual people

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discrimination, favoritism, favouritism

History

Etymology

From heterosex(ual) + -ism; modelled on sexism.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: heteroseksizëm — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Bulgarian: хетеросексизъм (heteroseksizǎm) — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Catalan: heterosexisme — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Czech: heterosexismus — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Danish: heterosexisme — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Dutch: heteroseksisme — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Esperanto: aliseksemismo — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Estonian: heteroseksism — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Finnish: hetero-oletus — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • French: hétérosexisme — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Galician: heterosexismo — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • German: Heterosexismus — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Greek: ετεροσεξισμός (eterosexismós) — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Hebrew: הטרוסקסיזם (heteroseksizm) — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Hungarian: heteroszexizmus — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Interlingua: heterosexualismo — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Interlingua: heterosexismo — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Irish: heitrighnéasachas — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Italian: eterosessismo — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Latvian: heteroseksisms — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Lithuanian: heteroseksizmas — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Lithuanian: heterocentrizmas — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Macedonian: хетеросекси́зам (heteroseksízam) — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Maltese: eterosessiżmu — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Polish: heteroseksizm — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Portuguese: heterossexismo — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Romanian: heterosexism — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Russian: гетеросекси́зм (getɛrosɛksízm) — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Serbo-Croatian: heteroseksizam — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Slovak: heterosexizmus — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Slovene: heteroseksizem — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Spanish: heterosexismo — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals
  • Swedish: heterosexism — Discrimination in favor of heterosexuals