femininity
Americannoun
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the quality of being feminine
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womanhood
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of femininity
First recorded in 1350–1400, femininity is from the Middle English word femininite. See feminine, -ity
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Explanation
Femininity is a quality of acting in a typically womanly, girlish, or feminine way. Different cultures have different ideas of what femininity looks like. If you're a gentle, sweet-natured person, your grandmother may praise your femininity. You might argue, however, that your brother is even sweeter and more soft-spoken than you are. Society has a particular idea and definition of exactly what femininity is, but this varies widely for individual women. Femininity comes from the adjective feminine, "relating to women," from the Latin femina, "woman."
Vocabulary lists containing femininity
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 this omission is a sign that, at least in Evie’s world, exercise isn’t about health at all and, in fact, health should be sacrificed for the goal of achieving their particular ideal of femininity.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
After Suez, Ms. Wheeler writes, “nothing would ever be the same again,” both for Britain and Morris, whose assumption of femininity was accompanied by increasing critical distance from the dying empire.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Listen to Girl Feels Good: A visceral ode to empowerment, femininity and healing on the dancefloor.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025
After the acclaim for her breakthrough album, El Mal Querer, which fused flamenco with R&B rhythms, and her genre-defying follow-up, Motomami, Rosalia offers an orchestral meditation on faith and femininity.
From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025
Pauline Hawthorne’s work, she learned, was known for its immediacy and its intimacy, for interrogating images of femininity and identity.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
