actress
Americannoun
noun
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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.
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:
Fellow co-star and Mexican actress Eiza González said her "heart is absolutely broken" as she posted a photo of them posing in costume.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Directed by Damien Chazelle, “La La Land” was nominated for 14 Oscars, winning six, including lead actress for Stone and director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Their story remains because the ancient Greeks — and then the ancient Romans, Romanoi Byzantines, Renaissance Dutch and now, an English director and a Kenyan actress — all decided the story belonged to them.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Kaylee Hottle, an 18-year-old actress who appeared in two "Godzilla" films, died early Tuesday in a car accident in the US state of Maryland, police said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 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
Dame Judi is regarded as one of the most accomplished stage, musical theatre and television actresses of her generation, with a career spanning seven decades.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 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
I wouldn’t be here talking with one of my best friends and one of the greatest actresses ever ...
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Many actresses warrant other titles, and there should be spaces for those, too.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
Movie studios used to sign deals with actors and actresses, in exchange for creating their personas and controlling their lives.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
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.
