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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.

He had a Clark Gable pencil mustache, raced sailboats, cavorted with the late communist leader Fidel Castro in Cuba, and at one point married Academy Award-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

He was married to actress Jane Fonda from 1991 until 2001.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Sarah “Sally” Snyder, a young, struggling actress, was found dead in a New York City apartment on the eve of her 22nd birthday, about two weeks before Christmas 1973.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

Music mega-star Beyonce will make her first appearance at the event in a decade, serving as a co-chair of fashion's marquee event along with tennis legend Venus Williams and Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

When you said that you could figure out how to be a Broadway actress and still have a baby.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy

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.