the motivation or want to engage in sexual activity; also known as a person’s libido or sex drive, it forms part of one’s sexuality. Sexual desire is typically triggered, spontaneously or in response – for example, by one’s own imagination or thought, or by something happening in their environment (for example, encountering someone that they are sexually attracted to).

If an individual has no or little sexual desire, they may be asexual, although a person’s level of sexual desire may vary through time or be dependent on other circumstances or their health.