noun
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a loud, violent, and ill-tempered woman; scold; shrew
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archaic a strong, brave, or warlike woman; amazon
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of virago
before 1000; Middle English, Old English < Latin virāgō, equivalent to vir man + -āgō suffix expressing association of some kind, here resemblance
Explanation
A virago is a loud, bossy woman, like your next door neighbor who is always yelling at kids to get off her lawn. You can use the noun virago when you're describing a particularly mean and scolding woman. It's not a compliment to call someone a virago, although its origins are much nobler than the shrewish, screechy character it implies today. Originally, a virago was a brave or heroic woman. The root of virago is the Latin word for "man," vir. In other words, a virago used to mean a woman who seemed manly or virile.
Vocabulary lists containing virago
Twelfth Night
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"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving
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"American History" by Judith Ortiz Cofer
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Virago is still listed as missing on Lloyd's Register of Ships - a marine classification society - which said the vessel was built in Hull in 1871.
From BBC • Nov. 5, 2022
The SS Virago was sailing from Hull to the port of Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire, but never made it out of the English Channel.
From BBC • Nov. 5, 2022
The next year, Virago published five Modern Classics, and it would go on to publish hundreds more, by authors including Molly Keane, Margaret Atwood, Zora Neale Hurston and Eudora Welty.
From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2022
Byatt, Angela Carter, Hilary Mantel, Toni Morrison and Alice Munro while continuing to serve as chairwoman of Virago until 1995, when the press became part of Little Brown.
From Washington Post • Oct. 19, 2022
Virago of an aunt; regular termagant; hates the girl!
From The Strollers by Fisher, Harrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
