# sexually

Pronunciation: US say "SEK-shoo-uh-lee" /ˈsɛkʃʊəli/; UK say "SEK-syoo-uh-lee" /ˈsɛksjʊəli/

## Adverb

1. In a sexual or erotic manner.
   - Simple: In a way that is sexual or meant to cause sexual desire.
   - _The director asked the actors to play the scene less sexually and more tenderly._
   - _Critics said the music video presented the pop star far too sexually for a family audience._
2. In relation to sexual intercourse.
   - Simple: When it comes to having sex.
   - _The survey asked adults whether they had been sexually active in the past year._
   - _Patients are advised to remain sexually abstinent until the infection clears._
3. By way of sexual intercourse.
   - Simple: Through having sex.
   - _The clinic offers free screening for sexually transmitted infections._
   - _Hepatitis B can be spread sexually as well as through shared needles._
4. In relation to sex, in the sense of whether an organism is male or female.
   - Simple: In a way that has to do with being male or female.
   - _In many bird species the plumage is sexually dimorphic, with males far brighter than females._
   - _Critics argued that the club's membership rules discriminated sexually against women._

## Origin

Formed from sexual + -ly.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sexually (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).