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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females
plural
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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.
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Rather than crustacean larvae, the specimens were adult female insects.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
But a lenient countermessage framed as female autonomy is no better.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama, whose renowned work made her the most-expensive female artist, has died.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
At that point, when female social relationships become exponentially more complicated and masking becomes more difficult, their mental health outcomes split sharply from those of their male peers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Lera Khomyakova had become the first female pilot in history to shoot down an enemy aircraft at night.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Four males aged between 14 and 50, and five females aged 40 to 53 remain missing.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Ehrlich added: “While Callaway recently posted a strong quarter, its ability to attract new golfers, especially females, may be compromised.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
The findings, published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, provide further evidence that diseases can develop and appear differently in males and females.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
“When six alpha females get together there’s bound to be drama, but we never go to bed angry,” says Rachel Castaldi, a part-time preschool teacher in Princeton, N.J.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
It’s even rarer in females, and superrare in kids.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
