gender

¹ American  

[jen-der] / ˈdʒɛn dər /

noun

• genders
  plural

1. either the male or female division of a species, especially as differentiated by social and cultural roles and behavior.

   the feminine gender.

2. a similar category of human beings that is outside the male/female binary classification.

3. the concept or system of categories such as male and female: More and more people have a nonbinary understanding of gender.

   Gender is a factor in pay rates across industries.

   More and more people have a nonbinary understanding of gender.

4. Grammar.

   1. (in many languages) a set of classes that together include all nouns, membership in a particular class being shown by the form of the noun itself or by the form or choice of words that modify, replace, or otherwise refer to the noun, as, in English, the choice of he to replace the man, of she to replace the woman, of it to replace the table, of it or she to replace the ship. The number of genders in different languages varies from 2 to more than 20; often the classification correlates in part with sex or animateness. The most familiar sets of genders are of three classes (as masculine, feminine, and neuter in Latin and German) or of two (as common and neuter in Dutch, or masculine and feminine in French and Spanish).

   2. one class of such a set.

   3. such classes or sets collectively or in general.

   4. membership of a word or grammatical form, or an inflectional form showing membership, in such a class.

5. Archaic. kind, sort, or class.

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verb (used with object)

1. to attribute gender to, or to classify by gender: Usually when I wear my hair down people gender me as female.

   Gendering soaps seems a bit much—can't men and women use the same products?

   Usually when I wear my hair down people gender me as female.

gender ² American  

[jen-der] / ˈdʒɛn dər /

verb (used with or without object)

1. Archaic. to engender.

2. Obsolete. to breed.

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gender British  

/ ˈdʒɛndə /

noun

1. a set of two or more grammatical categories into which the nouns of certain languages are divided, sometimes but not necessarily corresponding to the sex of the referent when animate See also natural gender

2. any of the categories, such as masculine, feminine, neuter, or common, within such a set

3. informal the state of being male, female, or neuter

4. informal all the members of one sex

   the female gender

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gender Cultural  

1. A grammatical category indicating the sex, or lack of sex, of nouns and pronouns. The three genders are masculine, feminine, and neuter. He is a masculine pronoun; she is a feminine pronoun; it is a neuter pronoun. Nouns are classified by gender according to the gender of the pronoun that can substitute for them. In English, gender is directly indicated only by pronouns.

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Sensitivity

It is possible to define gender as interchangeable with “sex,” indicating that the term can be used when differentiating male creatures from female ones biologically. However, the concept of gender, a word primarily applied to human beings, has additional connotations having to do with general behavior, social interactions, and most importantly, one's fundamental sense of self. People increasingly recognize that a complex spectrum between male and female exists not only mentally, psychologically, and behaviorally, but also anatomically—there have always been intersex people. The conflation of gender with sex, though historically common, is now often criticized because it is seen by some to be insensitive or dehumanizing. People who do not question their assigned gender are usually referred to as cisgender, or just cis— as in a cis male or a cis female. Using cis is a way to refer to these individuals without implying that cisgender people are the only norm. Those who don't identify with the gender assigned to them at birth are often referred to using the umbrella term transgender, though not everyone labeled in this way accepts the designation. The term transgender includes both binary trans people and those who are outside of the male–female binary in some way, including nonbinary and genderqueer people. After realizing their gender, many transgender people may change the way they dress, speak, or otherwise present themselves. Some may transition medically through surgery, hormone replacement therapy, and other procedures. Some may want to change the language people use to refer to them, including things like given name and pronouns as well as gender labels. This array of life experiences has resulted in a veritable explosion of new, or newly adapted, vocabulary.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• genderless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• genders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of gender¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French gendre, genre, from Latin gener- (stem of genus ) “kind, sort”

Origin of gender²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gendren, from Old French gendrer, from Latin generāre “to beget,” derivative of genus gender ¹, genus ( def. )

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Explanation

People use the word gender to indicate your biological sex or your sense of being female, male, or a combination of both. Danica Patrick is someone who has broken many gender barriers by being a successful female race-car driver in a male-dominated sport. If you've learned French, Spanish, or Latin, you know these languages assign genders to nouns, such as masculine, feminine, or neuter. Besides this grammatical use, gender and sex are very often used as synonyms in everyday speech. However, while sex refers to biological differences between men and women, gender is much more complicated and changeable, influenced by society, culture, and an individual person's self-identity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gender genders

UnidosUS’ survey found significant gender gaps between Latino men and women.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

“With weakness seen across the full spectrum of income, age and gender demographic groups, these are damaging findings given the U.K. government’s priority of economic growth,” Bellamy said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

It wanted the GP to take over prescribing testosterone to a vulnerable 18-year-old female, who was distressed about her gender.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Studies have shown that trans kids are consistent and resilient about their gender identity.

From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026

Women and men often took on gender roles that were more traditional and distinct than their roles are today.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Gen X and millennials make up the largest patient populations for both genders, the study found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Gender-responsive policing recognizes that people of different genders can experience crime, victimization, and interactions with law enforcement differently.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

While cost is a universal concern across all genders, one factor which disproportionately impacts women is family - whether starting one, including pregnancy, or the requirements of childcare.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Management said that Levi’s customers — across genders and geographies — had remained “resilient,” amid concerns about putting off clothing purchases or waiting for discounts as costs of living rise.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Many cultures on earth operated not with two genders but with three.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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