lioness
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lioness
1250–1300; Middle English liones, leonesse < Middle French lion ( n ) esse. See lion, -ess
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 when she realizes Iago has slandered Desdemona she turns into an enraged lioness, roundly exposing and condemning him—and Othello—with righteous fury.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
In Farsi, this term honors women who are strong, who stand up for their rights and who are trailblazers—courageous, brave and resilient, much like a lioness.
From Salon • Sep. 15, 2024
It's a reference to Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a Dalit icon and the architect of India's constitution, while Sherni means lioness in Urdu.
From BBC • May 30, 2024
Tea, 52, is a Massachusetts-to-San Francisco-to-Los Angeles transplant — and the literary lioness who created, among many other cultural lightning rods, the notorious Drag Queen Story Hour.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2023
But of a sudden she saw by the light of the moon a lioness.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
