misogynist

American  

[mi-soj-uh-nist, mahy‑] / mɪˈsɒdʒ ə nɪst, maɪ‑ /

noun

• misogynists
  plural

1. a person who hates, dislikes, or mistrusts women.

2. a person whose views are shaped by ingrained and institutionalized prejudice against women; a sexist.

   a renowned playboy and misogynist—a poster child for sexism.

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adjective

1. showing a hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women.

   He faces federal hate crime charges for racist and misogynist rants.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misogynistic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• misogynists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of misogynist

First recorded in 1620–30; see origin at misogyny ( def. ), -ist ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does misogynist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• chauvinist vs. misogynist

Explanation

If you're someone who believes women belong in the kitchen and shouldn't be accorded the same respect as men, you might be a misogynist. A misogynist is a person who hates or doesn't trust women. Misogynist is from Greek misogynḗs, from the prefix miso- "hatred" plus gynḗ "a woman." The English suffix -ist means "person who does something." The prefix mis-, a variant of miso- before a vowel, appears in the opposite term misandrist, which is a person who hates or doesn't trust men. The corresponding nouns are mysogyny and misandry.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

misogynist misogynists

But his choice to enthusiastically fraternize with a self-described misogynist facing dozens of horrific felony counts has exposed him to scrutiny.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

She and her husband, she noted, were alarmed to find their son had encountered misogynist influencer Andrew Tate while watching sports online.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Morris’s daughter, Suki, described a bully and misogynist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

It was into the post-noughties misogynist cesspool that the early feminist blogosphere was born, and initially, it was fun and freewheeling.

From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026

Miss Phoebe did not know what a misogynist was, and did not like to ask; there were so many dangerous and levelling doctrines about, as her father always said.

From Geoffrey Strong by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

Because they’re perceived as going against their own self-interest, female misogynists tend to get more of a hearing, which isn’t true.

From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2025

Ms Lich said she is offended by the portrayal of protesters as "racists, misogynists and even terrorists".

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2022

PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel issued a statement at the time worrying that by Norton’s standard, “thousands of books by bigots, misogynists and miscreants . . . could be removed from circulation.”

From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2021

I sometimes seriously think some of the men are misogynists.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2021

Scarcely has the news of their arrival spread, when a mass meeting of women is called, and a coalition formed against the misogynists.

From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Gustav Karpeles