What does "cisnormativity" mean?

The assumption that all human beings are cisgender, i.e. have a gender identity which matches their biological sex.

What is a synonym for "cisnormativity"?

Common synonyms include: heteronormativity.

Pronounced //ˌsɪs.nɔː.məˈtɪv.ɪ.ti//.

//ˌsɪs.nɔː.məˈtɪv.ɪ.ti// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The assumption that all human beings are cisgender, i.e. have a gender identity which matches their biological sex. neologism, uncountable
"The erasure of transpeople's experiences can be understood, at least partially, as a function of the hegemony of cisnormativity."

"Cis ideology includes cisnormativity and cissexism."

From cis- + normativity.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.