What does "feminine" mean?
That which is feminine.
Feminine
/ˈfɛmɪnɪn/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: That which is feminine.
- Grammar: feminine is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: womanly, affected, amenable, animate.
- Useful contrasts: butch, male, manly.
- Usage evidence: Some women look more masculine than feminine.
How to use "feminine"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "feminine" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "feminine" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "feminine" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "feminine" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "feminine" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "womanly" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "feminine", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 That which is feminine.
- 2 a gender that refers chiefly (but not exclusively) to females or to objects classified as female wordnet
- 3 A woman. obsolete, possibly, rare
"They guide the feminines toward the Pallace."
- 4 The feminine gender.
- 5 A word of the feminine gender.
"These changes being understood, it is easy to see how inaccurate it is to talk of she being the feminine, and they being the plural, of he. The different words belong to different systems, and are no more the masculines and feminines of one another, than (to use a well-known illustration) puss is the vocative case of cat."
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the female gender.
- 2 Of or pertaining to the female sex; biologically female, not male.
- 3 Belonging to females; typically used by females.
"Mary, Elizabeth, and Edith are feminine names."
- 4 Having the qualities stereotypically associated with women: nurturing, not aggressive, sensual; womanly.
"Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and feminine."
- 5 Of, pertaining or belonging to the female grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.; Being of the feminine class or grammatical gender, and inflected in that manner.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Of, pertaining or belonging to the female grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.; Being inflected in agreement with a feminine noun.
"Women's names were formed in the same way as men's, but with feminine terminations […]"
- 7 Having the vowel harmony of a front vowel.
- 8 Following or ending on an unstressed syllable.
"Feminine caesura, feminine catalexis, feminine ending, feminine rhyme."
Adjective
- 1 associated with women and not with men wordnet
- 2 befitting or characteristic of a woman especially a mature woman wordnet
- 3 female (of grammatical gender) wordnet
- 4 (music or poetry) ending on an unaccented beat or syllable wordnet
Example
"Some women look more masculine than feminine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "feminine"?
Common synonyms include: womanly, affected, amenable, animate, beauty, camp.
How do you use "feminine" in a sentence?
Some women look more masculine than feminine.
How do you pronounce "feminine"?
Pronounced /ˈfɛmɪnɪn/.
Etymology
From Middle English feminine, femynyne, femynyn, from Old French feminin, feminine, from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-eh₂ (“(the one) nursing, breastfeeding”). Related to fetus, feminism, filial, fellatio.