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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How does femininity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Tradwives and mommy bloggers are characterized by a cartoonishly slick and sanctimonious femininity; they perform choreographed dances with obedient children, bake sourdough bread, offer prayers and affiliate codes in the same breath.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
“Wuthering Heights” knew what it was about, and Brontë, despite her lack of firsthand experience in love, had the scripts of normative femininity dead to rights with the book’s relentless conflation of love and torment.
From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026
Listen to Girl Feels Good: A visceral ode to empowerment, femininity and healing on the dancefloor.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025
The handmade stoneware tiles of Florencia Rothschild at Wishbone honor femininity and self-care in mural-like assemblages of nudes engaging in yoga, Pilates and rest, foregrounding the human form without sexualizing it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
Cool things going on with subverting trad, ideas of femininity etc.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
