'sex-positive' originates from English, formed from the element 'sex' (from Latin 'sexus') and the adjective 'positive' (from Latin 'positivus'), where 'sex' originally referred to 'gender/sexual activity' and 'positive' meant 'affirming' or 'placed/established'.

'sex' came into English via Latin 'sexus' (older senses of 'gender' or 'sexual activity'), and 'positive' derives from Latin 'positivus' (from 'ponere', to place); the compound adjective 'sex-positive' is a modern English coinage that emerged in late 20th century discussions of sexual liberation, feminism, and sex education and became more widely used with the 'sex-positive movement'.

The individual roots originally referred to 'gender/sexual category' (sex) and 'placed/affirmed' (positive); combined in modern usage the phrase came to mean an affirmative stance toward consensual sexuality and sexual rights rather than the literal sum of its parts.