feminize

American  

[fem-uh-nahyz] / ˈfɛm əˌnaɪz /

especially British, feminise

verb (used with or without object)

feminized, feminizing

1. to make or become feminine.

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feminize British  

/ ˈfɛmɪˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to make or become feminine

2. to cause (a male animal) to develop female characteristics

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Other Word Forms

• defeminization noun
• defeminize verb (used with object)
• feminization noun
• overfeminize verb
• unfeminize verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of feminize

1645–55; < Latin fēmin ( a ) woman + -ize

Example Sentences

Instrumental in feminizing the occupation, Beecher argued that pious young women should be the ones to do the moral work of teaching — in no small part because they provided cheap labor.

From Los Angeles Times

“Jacobean style as menswear was becoming feminized in many ways,” but French fashion in the 1770s turned the gender fluidity dial further.

From Los Angeles Times

Inside the $45 packet were five feminized, photoperiod seeds from Gogol’s Oregon farm, and they can be purchased with no more hassle — or stigma — than anything else at C&S Garden Center.

From Los Angeles Times

Most of her address was focused on women and their role in society, promising to “feminize” and “Europeanize” the country.

From Seattle Times

“But she chose the old Arabic feminized version of the word that means ‘counselor or advisor.’

From Los Angeles Times