gender binary
Americannoun
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a classification system consisting of two genders, male and female.
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a concept or belief that there are only two genders and that one's sex or gender assigned at birth will align with traditional social constructs of masculine and feminine identity, expression, and sexuality.
Etymology
Origin of gender binary
First recorded in 1980–90
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.
Still, throughout the entire process, Arango was clear that, first and foremost, “Ponyboi” was a story centering intersex people — and all those who don’t fit into the rigid gender binary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025
"It's so important we continue to have different voices in the room and we continue to showcase folks outside the gender binary."
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023
Overall, the novel blew the gender binary wide open during a time in which cis-gendered-focused feminism was at its beginnings.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2023
These performers reject strict adherence to sex assigned at birth, mocking the very existence of a gender binary.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2023
Some people — nonbinary or not — use only they/them pronouns, rejecting an association with or making a statement about the gender binary.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
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.
