virginity
/vəˈdʒɪnəti/ (bre, ipa) · [vɚdʒˈɪnɪti] /vərˈdʒɪnəti/ (ame, ipa) · [vɚdʒˈɪnɪti] /(ˌ)vər-ˈji-nə-tē How to pronounce virginity (audio)/ (ame, mw)
virginity — noun
1. the condition of being a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse, oft
the condition of being a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse, often viewed in society as a meaningful personal milestone
Shanti decided to wait until marriage before losing her virginity.
collocation: lose one's virginity
In many cultures, a woman's virginity was historically tied to her family's reputation.
passive structure: virginity was tied to
Theo felt no shame about his virginity and called it a personal choice.
Dr. Meera explained that the concept of virginity differs greatly across societies and time periods.
Many teenagers today feel less social pressure to preserve their virginity than past generations did.
- chastity
implies a deliberate, often moral decision to abstain rather than merely the factual state
- celibacy
refers to the ongoing choice to remain unmarried or refrain from sex, not just one's initial lack of experience
- purity
broader and more value-laden; can include moral or spiritual innocence beyond sexuality
- sexual experience
the factual opposite state
- loss of virginity
describes the transition away from the state
用法筆記
Frequently used in phrases like 'lose one's virginity' (to have sex for the first time) and 'preserve one's virginity' (to remain celibate). The word carries different social and cultural weight depending on the context — it may be a neutral, personal, or heavily value-laden term.
常見錯誤
2. a playful or informal way of describing the state of never having tried a partic
a playful or informal way of describing the state of never having tried a particular activity, pastime, or experience — for example, having 'cooking virginity' or 'skiing virginity'
Kasia had never been skiing before, so she laughingly admitted her virginity on the slopes.
humorous use: admit one's virginity in [activity]
The team's virginity in international competitions showed in their hesitant first performance.
Elena's cooking virginity was obvious when she burned the rice on her first try.
Folake finally lost her film-festival virginity when she attended the opening night in Lagos.
Luca lost his online-gaming virginity when his cousin challenged him to a racing game.
- inexperience
neutral and broader; lacks the playful, metaphorical tone of this sense
- novice status
emphasises beginner level rather than the complete absence of experience
- rookie state
slangy and informal, but less common than the virginity metaphor
- experience
the straightforward opposite
- familiarity
suggests comfort and knowledge gained through practice
文法句型
possessive + [activity] virginity
lose one's [activity] virginity
用法筆記
Always metaphorical and deliberately informal. The sense is usually signalled by a preceding possessive modifier or a noun adjunct ('skiing virginity', 'online-gaming virginity'). Avoid in formal or academic writing — a more neutral alternative is 'lack of experience in [area]'.