Heteropessimism
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Disillusionment with heterosexuality, typically expressed in an ironic, performative manner and grounded in an essentialist or deterministic view of gender relations. neologism, uncountable
"What I now see is that Nelson’s caveat is typical of heteropessimism, a mode of feeling with a long history, and which is particularly palpable in the present. Heteropessimism consists of performative disaffiliations with heterosexuality, usually expressed in the form of regret, embarrassment, or hopelessness about straight experience. […] “Heterosexuality is a prison!” a chorus declared, vocalizing one of heteropessimism’s central maxims."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"What I now see is that Nelson’s caveat is typical of heteropessimism, a mode of feeling with a long history, and which is particularly palpable in the present. Heteropessimism consists of performative disaffiliations with heterosexuality, usually expressed in the form of regret, embarrassment, or hopelessness about straight experience. […] “Heterosexuality is a prison!” a chorus declared, vocalizing one of heteropessimism’s central maxims."
Etymology
From hetero- + pessimism, coined by sexuality scholar Asa Seresin, see quotations.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.