Meaning & use
a sexual desire
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Meanings
phrasecountable
a feeling of wanting sexual activity or sexual contact with someone
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a sexual desire' or 'sexual desires'; the article 'a' is needed in the singular.
Patterns
- a sexual desire for someone
- have a sexual desire
- lose a sexual desire
He admitted he still felt a sexual desire for his ex-partner.
Stress and tiredness can reduce a person's sexual desire.
The book discusses how a sexual desire changes with age.
phrasecountabletechnical
a strong wish for something that gives physical pleasure, especially in psychology writing
Grammar: Used mostly in academic psychology; in ordinary talk 'desire' alone is more natural.
Patterns
- a sexual desire for something
- suppress a sexual desire
Freud wrote about how a sexual desire can be redirected into art.
The study measured a sexual desire using a simple questionnaire.
Common combinations
- have a sexual desire
- Many people have a sexual desire that comes and goes.
- a sexual desire for someone
- She spoke openly about a sexual desire for her colleague.
- lose a sexual desire
- After the illness he lost a sexual desire almost completely.
- a strong sexual desire
- The novel describes a strong sexual desire that ruins a friendship.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: a sexual desire or sexual orientation?
a sexual desire vs sexual orientation
Orientation is about which sex or gender you are attracted to; desire is about wanting sex itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A sexual desire' is singular and countable, so it needs the article 'a' and the preposition 'for'. Option 2 drops the article, option 3 mixes 'a' with a plural noun, and option 4 wrongly uses 'the' for a first, general mention.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a sexual desire”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.