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sex object

sex object

9 7.0
A person others see only for sexual reasons, not as a whole person
  • noun
  • /sɛks ˈɑbdʒɛkt/
  • Offensive
translation icon : objeto sexual
  • There is pressure to conform to the social construct that labels women as sex objects, nothing more, nothing less.
  • women as sex objects

She's given to this warrior as a sex object.

Examples

  • I think it was because you treated me as a sex object.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • And when you see people as sex objects, certainly you're not training yourself to be in a healthy relationship.

  • "My first goal is to get you to think of me as a sex object instead of a brother."

    Fiction book (1999)
  • A lot of guys struggle to see women as more than just sex objects for a number of years.

  • Women are tired of being seen as sex objects or regarded as no more than vehicles for reproduction.

    Blog text (30)
  • In many movies, women are often portrayed merely as sex objects, lacking depth and individuality.

  • The advertisement was criticized for reducing women to sex objects to sell the product.

  • She spoke out against the trend of depicting men and women as sex objects in popular media.

How Objectified

sex object
  • Offensive
9 7.0
sexually attractive
  • NSFW
3 5.4
admired
1.8
respected
8 2.3

Surface Forms

sex object singular
sex objects plural

Morphology

sex + object

The meaning is directly built from 'sex' (relating to sexual activity or sexuality) + 'object' (a person or thing toward which actions/feelings are directed), so 'sex object' is transparently a person treated as an object of sexual desire. This noun‑noun composition and the concept 'object of X' is common cross‑linguistically, making it readily inferable by a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Sex object comes from a simple, strong picture: the word object means a thing and sex points to sexual desire, so the phrase paints a person as a thing to be looked at for sex. So, it means someone seen only for 'sexual desire' and not as a whole person.