sexual
sexual — adjective
1. Describing things that involve or relate to the physical act of sex between peop
Describing things that involve or relate to the physical act of sex between people, including related feelings, behaviour, and attraction.
Many TV channels now show warnings before broadcasting sexual scenes in films.
collocation: sexual scenes / sexual content
The survey asked teenagers about their sexual behaviour and personal attitudes.
collocation: sexual behaviour
Some schools in Taiwan offer sexual education to help young people understand relationships.
Folake felt uncomfortable with the sexual jokes her colleagues told during lunch.
It is illegal to share sexual images of another person without their clear agreement.
文法句型
sexual + noun
用法筆記
Frequently appears in formal and legal contexts — education, media ratings, law, and journalism. Common in compound phrases such as sexual content, sexual behaviour, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.
常見錯誤
2. Relating to the way that plants, animals, and other living things produce offspr
Relating to the way that plants, animals, and other living things produce offspring through the joining of male and female cells, rather than through simple splitting or budding.
Sexual reproduction in flowering plants requires the transfer of pollen between blossoms.
collocation: sexual reproduction
Many simple organisms can reproduce both sexually and through ordinary cell division.
contrast: sexually vs. by cell division (asexual)
Farmers often use sexual crossing between two plant varieties to create stronger crops.
Hoa's biology textbook explained how sexual development begins inside the flower bud.
Scientists study the sexual organs of insects to understand how species evolve over time.
- reproductive
Broader term covering both sexual and asexual reproduction.
- generative
Formal term for the capacity to produce offspring; less common in everyday use.
- asexual
Describes reproduction that does not involve the joining of male and female cells.
文法句型
sexual + noun (biology)
用法筆記
Used mainly in biology, botany, and agriculture. The opposite process is asexual reproduction (e.g. binary fission in bacteria, budding in yeast). This sense never refers to human sexual activity.
常見錯誤
3. Relating to the physical features — such as chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy —
Relating to the physical features — such as chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy — that place a person into a sex group: male, female, or a mixture of both sex traits.
Doctors examined the newborn baby's sexual characteristics during the first health check.
collocation: sexual characteristics
The biology class discussed how sexual development begins long before a baby is born.
collocation: sexual development
Some people are born with sexual features that are neither clearly male nor clearly female.
Tyler's medical file notes his sexual category as male for the hospital records.
Researchers study how sexual hormones affect the human body during the teenage years.
- biological
Broader term covering all biological traits; only implies sex when the context makes it clear.
- sex-based
More precise when distinguishing between categories based on sex; used in legal and medical writing.
文法句型
sexual + noun (biology / medicine)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (SEXUAL ACTIVITY): sense 3 refers to biological sex categories and physical traits, not to sexual behaviour or feelings. Common in medical records, legal documents, and scientific research. Not interchangeable with 'gender,' which involves social and personal identity.