gender-affirming surgery

noun

gen·​der-af·​firm·​ing surgery ˈjen-dər-ə-ˈfər-miŋ- How to pronounce gender-affirming surgery (audio)
variants or gender affirmation surgery
plural gender-affirming surgeries or gender affirmation surgeries
: any of several surgical procedures that a transgender or nonbinary (see nonbinary sense c) person may choose to undergo in order to obtain physical characteristics that align with their gender identity : gender confirmation surgery
Hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery are crucial parts of transition for many trans adults. Alleviating gender dysphoria and aligning gender expression with identity through these treatments can lower stress, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and significantly lessen suicidal ideation.Orion Rummler
Some people also identify as both nonbinary and trans. They may take hormones or undergo gender-affirming surgery, but this doesn't take away from their nonbinary identity.Suzannah Weiss
Many transgender individuals choose to undergo fertility preservation before their gender affirmation surgery if having biological children is part of their long-term goals.Romy Smith and Ro Bowman
abbreviation GAS

Examples of gender-affirming surgery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The measure would also ban gender-affirming surgery or medications for minors. Kate Zernike, New York Times, 15 May 2025 Gender-affirming care rare most common among young adults A 2023 study in the medical journal JAMA Network Open found gender-affirming surgeries were most popular with young adults. Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2025 Emilia Pérez is a Spanish-language musical crime drama that stars Saldaña as Rita, a lawyer tasked with helping the movie's title character (Gascón) obtain a gender-affirming surgery to escape life as a cartel boss. Jen Juneau, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025 The report said authors found low certainty of evidence on the effects of gender-affirming surgeries on adolescents including suicidality, depression, asexual function, quality of life and regret. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gender-affirming surgery

Word History

First Known Use

2011, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gender-affirming surgery was in 2011

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Cite this Entry

“Gender-affirming surgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender-affirming%20surgery. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Medical Definition

gender-affirming surgery

noun
variants or gender affirmation surgery
plural gender-affirming surgeries or gender affirmation surgeries
: any of several surgical procedures that a transgender or nonbinary person may choose to undergo in order to obtain physical characteristics that align with their gender identity : gender confirmation surgery
In addition to … hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery … aims to surgically align physical characteristics with one's identity. These surgical interventions target sex-specific physical characteristics such as genitals (e.g., vaginoplasty), chest (e.g., mastectomy), face, gonads, voice, and Adam's apple.Tim C. van de Grif et al., Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
Gender affirmation surgeries … include a variety of surgical procedures intended to support transgender individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, which can help align their physical sexual characteristics to their desired gender expression.Omar Hassan et al., New Imaging Techniques
  • abbreviation GAS
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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