transsexual

adjective

trans·​sex·​u·​al (ˌ)tran(t)s-ˈsek-sh(ə-)wəl How to pronounce transsexual (audio)
-shəl
variants or less commonly transexual
dated, often offensive
: transgender : of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity is opposite the sex the person was identified as having at birth

Note: Transsexual is a dated term that is sometimes used in self-reference but that may give offense when used by others. The term transgender is preferred.

transsexual noun
or less commonly transexual
dated, often offensive
transsexualism noun
or less commonly transexualism
dated
transsexuality noun
or less commonly transexuality
dated

Examples of transsexual in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people were incarcerated and killed by the Nazis — a fate only publicly recognized decades after WWII. Dallas News, 27 Jan. 2023 The drastic proposal to reclassify prizes aligns with the media’s transsexual agenda. Armond White, National Review, 4 Jan. 2023 A week and a half before our interview, Gentili and I found ourselves at the wedding ceremony of two mutual friends (the transsexual wedding of the century, honestly) held on the outdoor dance floor at the Ridgewood club Nowadays. Harron Walker, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2022 The scans showed that the non-transsexual male and female brains differed in various ways. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2011 The government also wants to scrap 40-year-old legislation that requires transsexual people to get a psychological assessment and a court decision before officially changing gender, a process that often involves intimate questions. Geir Moulson, USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2022 The cast includes Elliot Page, whose character comes out as transsexual in the new season. oregonlive, 2 June 2022 Becker has even gotten offers to do a couple of movies, one of them about Renée Richards, the transsexual tennis player. Angela Gaudioso, SPIN, 22 May 2022 The trolls started spamming tags like #gaypride, #ableism, #transsexual, and #depression. Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transsexual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of transsexual was in 1956

Dictionary Entries Near transsexual

Cite this Entry

“Transsexual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transsexual. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

transsexual

adjective
trans·​sex·​u·​al
dated, often offensive
: transgender : of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity is opposite the sex the person was identified as having at birth

Note: Transsexual is a dated term that may be used in self-reference but should be avoided by others. Use transgender instead.

transsexual noun
also transexual
transsexualism noun
also transexualism
transsexuality noun
also transexuality
plural transsexualities also transexualities
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