Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for actress. Search instead for actress Lisa.
Synonyms

actress

American  
[ak-tris] / ˈæk trɪs /

noun

  1. a woman who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc., especially professionally.

actress British  
/ ˈæktrɪs /

noun

  1. a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc

  2. informal a woman who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others

"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

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

First recorded in 1580–90; act(o)r + -ess

Vocabulary lists containing actress

And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

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.

More recently, she played a parody of herself in the acclaimed series Call My Agent! alongside her daughter, actress Laura Smet, and a French aristocrat in the second Downton Abbey film.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

The actress and CEO of the lifestyle brand Goop launched the delivery and pickup company in 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

However, actress Jennifer English continued her Clair Obscur winning streak by taking home the lead performer award.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

In 2020, the actress and CEO of the lifestyle brand Goop started to plan an all-day brasserie in Brentwood, Calif., the wealthy Los Angeles enclave.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

She was an actress, this was a theater, and it was Good Friday, the most solemn day on the Christian calendar.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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.