fair sex
or fairer sex
noun Older Use: Sometimes Offensive.
women as a group (usually used facetiously): an insult to the fair sex.
Origin of fair sex
First recorded in 1680–90
usage note for fair sex
This is a dated term, usually used for humorous effect. It uses the word
fair in the sense of “physically attractive”; because it refers to a woman in terms of her appearance, it is sometimes perceived as demeaning.
Words nearby fair sex
Example sentences from the Web for fair sex
I will not meddle with the Spectator, let him fair-sex it to the world's end.
The Journal to Stella |Jonathan Swift
British Dictionary definitions for fair sex
fair sex
noun
the fair sex
women collectively
Idioms and Phrases with fair sex
fair sex
Girls or women, as in Many women would object to being called the fair sex nowadays. This euphemism uses fair in the sense of “physically beautiful” and is probably dying out. [Mid-1600s]