Phrase guide

sex symbol

noun · 2 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

A person who embodies the sexual ideals of a mass audience.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • In the 50's and 60's Marilyn Monroe was considered a sex symbol.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a person (especially a celebrity) who is well-known for their sexual attractiveness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

History

Etymology

1871 used in Anthropology, first applied to a person in 1959 (Marilyn Monroe).

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: sex symbol — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大眾情人 /大众情人 (dàzhòng qíngrén) — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Finnish: seksisymboli — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • French: sex-symbol — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • French: sexe-symbole — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • German: Sexsymbol — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Irish: réalta ghnéasach — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Latvian: sekssimbols — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Portuguese: sex symbol — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Portuguese: símbolo sexual — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Spanish: símbolo sexual — person who embodies sexual ideals
  • Swedish: sexsymbol — person who embodies sexual ideals