actress
Americannoun
noun
-
a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
-
informal a woman who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others
Usage
Use of the word actress to refer to a female who acts is old-fashioned. The modern gender-neutral form is actor
Gender
What's the difference between actress and actor? See -ess.
Etymology
Origin of actress
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.
Chapin’s website notes her accolades, including five Junior Emmy awards for child actress and “Honorable Mayor” titles from Oklahoma, Texas and Florida for her charity work.
From Los Angeles Times
If Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” seems to crop up more often than his other plays, it’s probably because of the enigmatic hold the chilling title character has on actresses and audiences alike.
From Los Angeles Times
Katherine Short was a social worker, US media reported, and the eldest of three children her father adopted with actress and singer Nancy Dolman.
From BBC
“I never thought about being an actress. I only thought about sewing,” she says with an endearing smile.
From Los Angeles Times
Constance Zimmer, 55, is an actress known for the TV series “Entourage,” “Unreal” and “House of Cards.”
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.
