# asexual
## English
### Etymology

From a- (“lacking, without”) +‎ -sexual.

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /eɪˈsɛk.ʃuː.əl/, /eɪˈsɛk.sjuː.əl/
* (US) IPA: /eɪˈsɛk.ʃu.əl/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛkʃuːəl
* Hyphenation: a‧sex‧u‧al

### Adjective

asexual (not comparable)
* Nonsexual in nature, unmarked by sexual activity.
    Coordinate term: platonic
** 2004, Martha Vicinus, Intimate Friends: women who loved women, 1778-1928, page 150:The central paradox of Linton's writing was her inability, or unwillingness, to imagine an asexual friendship between women.
* (especially of a person) Not experiencing sexual attraction; lacking interest in or desire for sex.
    Synonyms: (slang) ace, (slang) asexy, a-spec
** 2010, Jerrold S. Greenberg, Clint E. Bruess, Sarah C. Conklin, Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality, fourth edition, pages 357-358:Many asexual people experience attraction, but feel no need to act out that attraction sexually. Because they don't see a lack of sexual arousal as a problem to be corrected, asexual people focus their energy on enjoying other types of arousal and pleasure.
** 2021 March 21, Jamie Waters, “‘I don’t want sex with anyone’: the growing asexuality movement”, in The Observer‎:Benoit is determined to ensure other asexual (or “ace”) people don’t feel broken or alone in a world in which lust and desire pulsate through our entire culture.
** For more quotations using this term, see Citations:asexual.
* (biology) Lacking distinct sex, lacking sexual organs.
    Synonym: epicene
* (biology) Without sexual action; reproducing by some other method than sex.
    asexual reproduction

#### Antonyms

* allosexual

#### Coordinate terms

* androsexual
* asexual, ace
* bisexual, bi
* demisexual, demi
* graysexual
* gynesexual
* heterosexual, straight
* homosexual
** gay
** lesbian
* omnisexual
* pansexual, pan
* polysexual
* sapiosexual

#### Derived terms

* ace
* asexual division
* asexualise
* asexualism
* asexualist
* asexuality
* asexualization
* asexualize
* asexually
* asexual reproduction
* asexual spore
* asexy
* bi-asexual
* gray asexual

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Noun

asexual (plural asexuals)
* (biology) A species which reproduces by asexual rather than sexual reproduction, or a member of such a species.
** 2009, Isa Schön, Giampaolo Rossetti, Koen Martens, Darwinulid Ostracods: Ancient Asexual Scandals or Scandalous Gossip?, published as Chapter 11 of Lost Sex: The Evolutionary Biology of Parthenogenesis, Isa Schön, Koen Martens, Peter van Dijk (editors), page 221:
    11.2 Demonstrating the Status of Long-Lived Asexuals
    [...] Indeed, if sex has so many advantages, then which special adaptations - if any - allow long-term survival without it? However, the main task of the research teams dealing with such putative ancient asexuals has thus far been to demonstrate that their respective groups (mainly bdelloids, darwinulids and certain lineages within orbatid mites) indeed merit the status.
* A person who does not experience sexual attraction; a person who lacks interest in or desire for sex.
* (rare) Something which does not have a sex, or a word which refers to such a thing.
** 1936, The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, volume 35, page 323:[…] The masculine forms are used to a considerable extent in congruence with etymologically masculine nouns; also with etymologically feminine asexuals; e.g. se stefn L 9, 36; [...] The neuter forms are used with etymologically neuter nouns; with etymologically masculine asexuals; e.g. þ cyrtil L 6, 29; J 19, 23; þ penning L 20, 24; bēam (Lindelof p. 9) ; stān (Lindelof p. 11); and with etymologically feminine asexuals; e.g. [...]

#### Antonyms

* allosexual

#### Translations
### Usage notes

* Asexual (in the sense of lacking sexual attraction or desire) should not be confused with hyposexual (see usage notes at hyposexuality) or non-libidoist.

### See also

* (romantic orientations) romantic orientation; aromantic (-ism), biromantic (-ism), demiromantic (-ism), heteroromantic (-ism), homoromantic (-ism), panromantic (-ism), transromantic
* fission, gemmation

## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ə.sək.suˈal]
* IPA: (Valencia) [a.sek.suˈal]

### Adjective

asexual m or f (masculine and feminine plural asexuals)
* asexual

### Noun

asexual m or f by sense (plural asexuals)
* asexual

### Antonyms

* sexual

### Related terms

* asexualitat

## Galician
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /asekˈswal/ [a.s̺ekˈs̺wɑɫ]
* Rhymes: -al

### Adjective

asexual m or f (plural asexuais)
* asexual

### Noun

asexual m or f by sense (plural asexuais)
* asexual

#### Antonyms

* sexual

### Further reading

* “asexual”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

## German
### Etymology

a +‎ sexual.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

asexual (strong nominative masculine singular asexualer, not comparable)
* (uncommon) asexual

#### Related terms

* asexuell

### Further reading

* “asexual” in Duden online
* “asexual” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English asexual. Equivalent to a- +‎ sexual.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [aseksuˈal]

### Adjective

asexual m or n (feminine singular asexuală, masculine plural asexuali, feminine and neuter plural asexuale)
* asexual

#### Declension
### Noun

asexual m (plural asexuali)
* asexual

#### Declension
### Related terms

* asexualitate

## Spanish
### Etymology

From a- +‎ sexual.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /aseɡˈswal/ [a.seɣ̞ˈswal]
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: a‧se‧xual

### Adjective

asexual m or f (masculine and feminine plural asexuales)
* asexual

#### Derived terms

* asexualidad
* asexualmente
* reproducción asexual

### Noun

asexual m or f by sense (plural asexuales)
* asexual

### Further reading

* “asexual”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10