actress
[ak-tris]
- a woman who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc., especially professionally.
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Origin of actress
Usage note
See -ess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for actress
Contemporary Examples
Once upon a time, a girl named Onika Maraj dreamed of being an actress.
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
The Oscar-winning actress put nude photo thieves in their place with one perfect statement.
Then there was an event, an HRC event, and I took a picture with Monique, the actress and comedian.
And who better to do that with than the actress who is playing the object of said (alleged) lesbian affection in the flick?
Historical Examples
He did not like me because I was thin, but he was interested in me because I was going to be an actress.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
However that may be, it is certain that the actor is jealous of the actress.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
No one was ever less an actress than I am, and you know that.
In a Steamer Chair and Other StoriesRobert Barr
One had been blackmailed by an actress after an affair and railroaded her off the Earth.
The AdventurerCyril M. Kornbluth
And they clapped their hands as the actress went to her seat.
Changing WindsSt. John G. Ervine
actress
- a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
- informal a woman who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others
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usage
Use of the word actress to refer to a female who acts is old-fashioned. The modern gender-neutral form is actor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for actress
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper