fair sex

American  

Or fairer sex

noun

Older Use: Sometimes Offensive.

1. women as a group (usually used facetiously).

   an insult to the fair sex.

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fair sex British  

noun

1. women collectively

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fair sex Idioms  

1. Girls or women, as in Many women would object to being called the fair sex nowadays. This euphemism uses fair in the sense of “physically beautiful” and is probably dying out. [Mid-1600s]

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Sensitive Note

This is a dated term, usually used for humorous effect. It uses the word fair in the sense of “physically attractive”; because it refers to a woman in terms of her appearance, it is sometimes perceived as demeaning.

Etymology

Origin of fair sex

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

The book American and Other Drinks touts the ladies’ blush as a "favourite drink among the fair sex," neglecting to cite its popularity with aspiring hyperglycemics.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2013

He then turned to another of the fair sex, with the same result.

From The Fourth Estate, vol. 2 by Palacio Vald?s, Armando

“You are in a city, my dear lady, where insults to the fair sex never go unpunished.”

From Frank Merriwell's New Comedian The Rise of a Star by Standish, Burt L.

All gentlemen should be polite to the fair sex, but officers particularly.

From Pencil Sketches or, Outlines of Character and Manners by Leslie, Eliza

Bottiger, whose good graces were considered most important, received even the fair sex.

From The Countess Cosel A Romance of History of the Times of Augustus the Strong by Kraszewski, Jo?zef Ignacy