lesbian
Americannoun
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a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women; a gay woman.
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a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to other women; a gay woman.
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Lesbian, an inhabitant of the island of Lesbos.
adjective
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of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of her own sex or gender.
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of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to people of her own sex or gender.
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Lesbian, of or relating to Lesbos.
noun
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a native or inhabitant of Lesbos
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the Aeolic dialect of Ancient Greek spoken in Lesbos
adjective
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of or relating to Lesbos
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of or relating to the poetry of Lesbos, esp that of Sappho
noun
adjective
Usage
What's the difference between lesbian and Sapphic? See gay ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
- lesbianism noun
Etymology
Origin of lesbian
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin Lesbi(us) “Lesbian” (from Greek Lésbios, equivalent to Lésb(os) “Lesbos” ( Lesbos ) + -ios adjective suffix) + -an; lesbian defs. 1, 3 allude to the poet Sappho of Lesbos, whose verse deals largely with her emotional relationships with other women
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Gays and lesbians have a history of being blindsided, and you don’t want to become part of that narrative. Give me a week or two to reach out to the community.”
From Los Angeles Times
California rules designed to foster a minimum number of female board members—as well as ethnic and racial minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender directors—were struck down separately.
Some Gen-Z lesbians have gushed that they are “so feral” over the 24-year-old actor, while others joked that they would hide all evidence of their lesbianism if they met Hudson in real life.
From Salon
But still he kept his footing, receiving an Ally Award from the lesbian and gay advocacy group Glaad for the work he had done since the incident.
A lesbian free spirit living in Paris since 1922, she had grown up in Indianapolis and written an arts column for the Indianapolis Star.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
