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.
But Patience is openly on the spectrum, along with the actress who plays her.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
In 2020, Zendaya became the youngest lead drama actress winner ever with her first “Euphoria” Emmy.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
“Fifty Shades of Grey” actress Dakota Johnson’s “extraordinary” midcentury modern Los Angeles retreat is already under offer—mere days after the on-screen star put the property on the market for $6 million.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
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
“You might near as good a actress as Loma. I thought I’d jest lost the hang a-courtin’.”
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
