woman
[ woo m-uh n ]
/ ˈwʊm ən /
noun, plural wom·en [wim-in] /ˈwɪm ɪn/.
verb (used with object)
adjective
of women; womanly.
female: a woman plumber.
Idioms for woman
be one's own woman,
(of females) to be free from restrictions, control, or dictatorial influence; be independent.
Origin of woman
synonym study for woman
Woman,
female,
lady are nouns referring to adult human beings who are biologically female; that is, capable of bearing offspring.
Woman is the general term. It is neutral, lacking either favorable or unfavorable implication, and is the most commonly used of the three:
a wealthy woman; a woman of strong character, of unbridled appetites. In scientific, statistical, and other objective use,
female is the neutral contrastive term to
male and may apply to plants and animals also:
104 females to every 100 males; Among lions, the female is the chief hunter.
Female is sometimes used in disparaging contexts:
a gossipy female; a conniving female.
Lady meaning “refined, polite woman” is a term of approval or praise:
a real lady in all things; to behave like a lady.
usage note for woman
2. Although formerly
woman was sometimes regarded as demeaning and
lady was the term of courtesy,
woman is the designation preferred by most modern female adults:
League of Women Voters; American Association of University Women.
Woman is the standard feminine parallel to
man. As a modifier of a plural noun,
woman, like
man, is exceptional in that the plural form
women is used:
women athletes; women students. The use of
lady as a term of courtesy has diminished somewhat in recent years (
the lady of the house ), although it still survives in a few set phrases (
ladies' room; Ladies' Day ).
Lady is also used, but decreasingly, as a term of reference for women engaged in occupations considered by some to be menial or routine:
cleaning lady; saleslady. See also
girl,
lady,
-woman.
OTHER WORDS FROM woman
wom·an·less, adjective an·ti·wom·an, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH woman
lady woman (see synonym study at the current entry) (see usage note at the current entry)Words nearby woman
Definition for woman (2 of 2)
usage note for -woman
Feminine compounds ending in
-woman are equivalent to the masculine compounds in
-man. When the person referred to is a woman, the feminine form is often, but not always, used:
alderman, alderwoman; assemblyman, assemblywoman; chairman, chairwoman; congressman, congresswoman; spokesman, spokeswoman; businessman, businesswoman. However, some forms ending in
-man are applied to women, and occasionally terms in
-man are specified by legal code:
Alderman Dorothy Lavelle. In general, the practice in current edited written English is to avoid the
-man form in reference to a woman or the plural
-men when members of both sexes are involved. Instead, a sex-neutral term is used:
council members rather than
councilmen and
councilwomen; representative or
legislator rather than
congressman or
congresswoman. See also
chairperson,
-man,
-person.
Example sentences from the Web for woman
British Dictionary definitions for woman
woman
/ (ˈwʊmən) /
noun plural women (ˈwɪmɪn)
verb (tr)
rare
to provide with women
obsolete
to make effeminate
Other words from woman
Related prefixes: gyno-, gynaeco-Derived forms of woman
womanless, adjective woman-like, adjectiveWord Origin for woman
Old English
wīfmann, wimman; from
wife +
man (human being)
Idioms and Phrases with woman
woman
see feel like oneself (new woman); marked man (woman); (woman) of few words; own person (woman); right-hand man (woman); scarlet woman.