actress
Americannoun
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actresses
plural
noun
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a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of actress
Vocabulary lists containing 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.
See Examples For:
While the two leads are played by Game of Thrones and Rose of Nevada actor Francis Magee, and Norwegian actress Christiane Schaldemose, the rest of the cast was found locally.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
After her death, fans began flooding Neutrogena’s social-media accounts with criticism of the brand’s treatment of the actress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Silver Lake has also been home to several celebrities over the years, including actress Olivia Wilde, actor James Franco, and comedian Fred Armisen.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
"It's still completely evolving, which is very exciting to me," said the 82-year-old actress.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
His premonition of disaster was correct from the beginning; and like a ranting actress in an indifferent play, I might say that we have paid for freedom.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Stage and screen star Phyllida Law, the mother of fellow actresses Dame Emma and Sophie Thompson, has died at the age of 94.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
But the play, which is set in “The Wings,” a charity home for retired actresses, provides a feast for veteran thespians for whom it would be impolite to ask their age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Dame Penelope Keith was one of Britain's best-loved comedy actresses thanks to her inimitable portrayal of Margo Leadbeatter in 1970s sitcom The Good Life, among other roles.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
"I always sort of go back to classic actresses in the way that they could sort of toe a line between extreme femininity and just rock hard will and grit," she said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
He treats all the important people in East Africa: the corrupt politicians, the actors and actresses who get sick on safari, the decayed English-African nobility.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
