Virago

//vɪˈɹɑːɡəʊ// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A woman given to undue belligerence or ill manner at the slightest provocation.

    "Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. Thus outraged, she showed herself to be a bold as well as a furious virago. Next day she found her way to their lodgings and tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head."

  2. 2
    a large strong and aggressive woman wordnet
  3. 3
    A woman who is scolding, domineering, or highly opinionated.
  4. 4
    a noisy or scolding or domineering woman wordnet
  5. 5
    A woman who is rough, loud, and aggressive.

Synonyms

All synonyms
amazonbattle axebitchbrimbrimstonecat

Example

More examples

"An outspoken woman, Liz was often branded a virago."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin virāgō (“warlike or heroic woman”, literally “manlike”).

Related phrases

virago sleeve

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.