misogyny
Americannoun
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hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women, manifested in various forms such as physical intimidation and abuse, sexual harassment and rape, social shunning and ostracism, etc.: Historically witch hunts were an embodiment of the misogyny of the time.
the underlying misogyny in slut-shaming;
Historically witch hunts were an embodiment of the misogyny of the time.
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ingrained and institutionalized prejudice against women; sexism.
noun
Commonly Confused
See misandry.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of misogyny
First recorded in 1650–60; New Latin misogynia, from Greek misogynía “hatred of women,” equivalent to miso- + gyn- + -ia noun suffix; see origin at miso-, gyn-, -y 3
Explanation
Misogyny is the hatred of women. Whenever someone thinks that all women share one trait — usually something negative — that’s misogyny. The noun misogyny, pronounced "miss-AH-jih-nee," comes from the Greek word misogynia, which means “woman-hater.” Misogyny is prejudice — like bigotry or racism — that’s directed toward women. Misogyny takes many forms, from hiring a less-qualified male job candidate instead of a woman to excluding women from joining a club, just because of their gender.
Vocabulary lists containing misogyny
Power Prefix: mis-
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When Dimple Met Rishi
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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.
She believed thinking about the language around the issue, education in schools and tackling deep-rooted societal misogyny could start to address things.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
A new book, ‘Marilyn and Her Books’ by Gail Crowther, explores the starlet’s personal library of 400 volumes and the misogyny that doubted her intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Dr Yelin says: "Their understanding of misogyny and rape culture was so sophisticated and so devastating, because they're living it all the time, every day."
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Estela Bezerra, the head of Brazil's office on violence against women, told AFP she believes online misogyny plays a big role.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Hillary was Barack’s opponent, which meant that I wasn’t inclined to feel especially warmly toward her just then, but I couldn’t help but admire her ability to stand up and keep fighting amid the misogyny.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
