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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

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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

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

US actress Christine Baranski has said it will be a "dream come true" to make her West End debut later this year, in a new production of Noel Coward's comedy Hay Fever.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

"I heard one man say he was sure you're a 'fillum' actress from India," Amit says, reaching into the container with his spoon.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

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.