feminine

[fem-uh-nin]

adjective

1. being or relating to to a woman or girl.

   feminine beauty;

   feminine dress.

2. having qualities traditionally ascribed to women, such as sensitivity or gentleness.

3. effeminate; womanish.

   Growing up, he had been told he had a feminine walk.

4. Grammar.,  noting or pertaining to that one of the three genders of Latin, Greek, German, etc., or one of the two genders of French, Spanish, Hebrew, etc., having among its members most nouns referring to females, as well as other nouns, as Latin stella “star,” or German Zeit “time.”

noun

Grammar.

1. the feminine gender.

2. a noun or other element in or marking the feminine gender.

feminine

/ ˈfɛmɪnɪn /

adjective

1. suitable to or characteristic of a woman

   a feminine fashion

2. possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a woman

3. effeminate; womanish

4. grammar

   1. denoting or belonging to a gender of nouns, occurring in many inflected languages, that includes all kinds of referents as well as some female animate referents

   2. ( as noun )

      German Zeit ``time'' and Ehe ``marriage'' are feminines

Other Word Forms

• femininely adverb
• feminineness noun
• antifeminine adjective
• antifemininely adverb
• antifeminineness noun
• half-feminine adjective
• hyperfeminine adjective
• hyperfemininely adverb
• hyperfeminineness noun
• overfeminine adjective
• overfemininely adverb
• pseudofeminine adjective
• superfeminine adjective
• ultrafeminine adjective
• unfeminine adjective
• unfemininely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of feminine¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English femynyn(e), from Anglo-French, Old French: feminine of adjective feminin, from Latin fēminīnus, equivalent to fēmin(a) “woman” ( fetus ) + -īnus -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of feminine¹

C14: from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina woman

Synonym Study

See female.

Example Sentences

“By choice, she did not emphasize her feminine qualities,” he wrote, adding that she was secretive and quarrelsome.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Recently she considered tropes associated with the Pinot Noir grape, described with surprising frequency as “sensitive” and “feminine”—words many wine writers have tossed around with impunity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A masculine girl or feminine boy may now be labeled as “trans.”

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They then quick-change into fabulous metallic gowns and, with the help of LED panels and lighting cues, the bedroom transforms into a fashion runway of scintillating secretaries, singing and dancing in feminine revelry.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After all, at the very start of her career in Hollywood, once she had settled in Los Angeles, Lansbury had to deal with specific notions of feminine beauty.

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Related Words

• female 
• femalelike www.thesaurus.com
• gentle 
• soft 
• tender 
• womanish 
• womanlike 
• womanly