pansexual

adjective

pan·​sex·​u·​al ˌpan-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wəl 

-shəl

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation

Pansexual people are attracted to all kinds of people, regardless of their gender, sex or presentation.

—Farhana Khan

also : not solely gay (see gay entry 1 sense 1a) or straight (see straight entry 1 sense 3h)

The famous 0-6 scale … was devised to chart sexual proclivities, from purely heterosexual (0) to purely homosexual (6). Kinsey felt humans are pansexual (most falling somewhere between 0 and 6), and restrictions imposed by society and religion lead to sexual maladjustments.

—Lisa C. Hickman

2

: tending to suffuse all experience and conduct with erotic feeling

Although Whitman's impulses were homoerotic, he was pansexual in the sense that he could find the driving force of something such as sex in almost everything …

—Peter Craven

pansexual noun

A pansexual is someone who can be attracted to males, females, transgender people and those who identify as non-binary (not female or male).

—Mel Evans

pansexuality

ˌpan-ˌsek-shə-ˈwa-lə-tē 

noun

or less commonly pansexualism

ˌpan-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wə-ˌli-zəm 

-shə-

"I am pansexual," he [Chris Stuckmann] admitted towards the end of the 56-minute clip. "If you don't know what pansexuality is, essentially you are attracted to all genders, and that's me."

—Sam Damshenas

Examples of pansexual in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

She's pansexual Ponton came out as bisexual in a 2021 interview with Teen Vogue. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024

Ben Affleck stars as Holden McNeil, a New Jersey comic book writer who falls in love with Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams in a career-defining performance), a pansexual woman who primarily identifies with the lesbian community. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2024

Last summer Brady came out as pansexual, defined as an attraction to people of any gender or regardless of gender. —EW.com, 25 July 2024

It was designed to bring awareness to the pansexual community and further distinguish it from bisexuality. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 17 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2