actress
Americannoun
noun
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a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
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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.
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.
They included best revival of a play as well as the lead actress prize for Metcalf, a Bafta and Oscar-nominated actress known for Roseanne and Lady Bird.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Metcalf won best featured actress for her portrayal of Willie Loman’s protective wife, Linda Loman, in “Death of a Salesman.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
British actress Manville won the first Tony of her career for her performance as Jocasta in the Greek tragedy Oedipus.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
The latter for featured actress for her portrayal of Willy Loman’s protective wife, Linda, in “Death of a Salesman.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
She looked like a professional actress at her first-ever premiere.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
