female
Americanadjective
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having or relating to a gender identity that corresponds to a complex, variable set of social and cultural roles, traits, and behaviors assigned to people of the sex that typically produces egg cells.
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Biology. of, relating to, or being an animal or human of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces egg cells during reproduction.
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Botany. designating or relating to a plant or its reproductive structure that produces or contains elements requiring fertilization.
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Botany. (of seed plants) pistillate.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of a female person; feminine: female charm.
female suffrage;
female charm.
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comprising female people.
a female readership.
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Machinery. being or having a recessed part into which a corresponding part fits.
a female plug.
noun
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a female person.
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Biology. an animal, plant, or plant structure of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces egg cells during reproduction.
adjective
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of, relating to, or designating the sex producing gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes (spermatozoa)
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of, relating to, or characteristic of a woman
female charm
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for or composed of women or girls
female suffrage
a female choir
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(of reproductive organs such as the ovary and carpel) capable of producing female gametes
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(of gametes such as the ovum) capable of being fertilized by a male gamete in sexual reproduction
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(of flowers) lacking, or having nonfunctional, stamens
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having an internal cavity into which a projecting male counterpart can be fitted
a female thread
noun
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In organisms that reproduce sexually, being the gamete that is larger and less motile than the other corresponding gamete (the male gamete) of the same species. The egg cells of higher animals and plants are female gametes.
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Possessing or being a structure that produces only female gametes. The ovaries of humans are female reproductive organs. Female flowers possess only carpels and no stamens.
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Having the genitalia or other structures typical of a female organism. Worker ants are female but sterile.
Usage
Some women are offended by being called “a female” when this word is used as a noun. Its use by men, particularly in sexual or romantic contexts, may be especially problematic.
Related Words
See woman. Female, feminine, effeminate are adjectives that describe women and girls or attributes and conduct culturally ascribed to them. Female, which is applied to plants and animals as well as to human beings, is often used as a biological or physiological descriptor, classifying individuals on the basis of their potential or actual ability to produce offspring in bisexual reproduction. It contrasts with male in all uses: her oldest female relative; the female parts of the flower. Feminine refers essentially to qualities or behaviors deemed by a culture or society to be especially appropriate to or ideally associated with women and girls. In American and Western European culture, these have traditionally included features such as delicacy, gentleness, gracefulness, and patience: to dance with feminine grace; a feminine sensitivity to moods. Feminine is also, less frequently, used to refer to physical features: a lovely feminine figure; small, feminine hands. Effeminate is most often applied derogatorily to men or boys, suggesting that they have character or behavior traits culturally believed to be appropriate to women and girls rather than to men: an effeminate horror of rough play; an effeminate speaking style. See also womanly.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of female
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, variant (by association with male ) of femelle, from Anglo-French femaile, female, femell, Old French femel(l)e, from Latin fēmella, diminutive of fēmina “woman” ( see -elle); in Vulgar Latin developing the sense “female of an animal”
Explanation
The female animals are the ones who can have babies. They’re not males. Girls and women are female humans, but there are male and female animals of all kinds. Just ask Noah. Female animals are those that produce ova, which are fertilized by the spermatozoa of males. The main difference between females and males is that females bear the offspring — and that goes for dogs, chickens, catfish, and anything in between. There are even male and female squash flowers. The word female is used equally as a noun and an adjective. For example, the female lead in a play is inevitably a female.
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 still, polls show 60 percent of Mexicans feel unsafe, and Mexico's first female president is under intense pressure from Washington.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
One female staff member taking part in the legal action, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC she and her colleagues had been "poisoned".
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Male and female mice that received strain CBA3656 showed more than double the amount of nanoplastics in their feces compared with mice that did not receive the probiotic.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
Ads played with the idea of fashion as a temptation in which female consumers should indulge.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Most of the ATA women were in units made up of both men and women at a dozen different airfields, although there was one completely female unit.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
