Meanings
nounsex symbol (plural sex symbols)
plural sex symbols
- A person who embodies the sexual ideals of a mass audience.
In the 50's and 60's Marilyn Monroe was considered a sex symbol.
Origin
1871 used in Anthropology, first applied to a person in 1959 (Marilyn Monroe).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan sex symbol
- sex symbolperson who embodies sexual ideals
Chinese Mandarin 大眾情人 /大众情人
- 大眾情人 /大众情人 (dàzhòng qíngrén)person who embodies sexual ideals
Finnish seksisymboli
- seksisymboliperson who embodies sexual ideals
French sex-symbol, sexe-symbole
- sex-symbolperson who embodies sexual ideals
- sexe-symboleperson who embodies sexual ideals
German Sexsymbol
- Sexsymbolperson who embodies sexual ideals
Irish réalta ghnéasach
- réalta ghnéasachperson who embodies sexual ideals
Latvian sekssimbols
- sekssimbolsperson who embodies sexual ideals
Portuguese sex symbol, símbolo sexual
- sex symbolperson who embodies sexual ideals
- símbolo sexualperson who embodies sexual ideals
Spanish símbolo sexual
- símbolo sexualperson who embodies sexual ideals
Swedish sexsymbol
- sexsymbolperson who embodies sexual ideals
Cite this entry
APA
sex symbol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%20symbol
MLA
“sex symbol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%20symbol. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sex symbol,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%20symbol.
Source: sex symbol on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.