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second sex

American  

noun

  1. one sex considered as secondary or subordinate in role to the other, especially women in a male-dominated society.

Etymology

Origin of second sex

First recorded in 1810–20

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.

See Examples For:

In the ’50s, the second sex went to bed with nothing; they woke up in the ’60s and ’70s and wanted everything.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2013

Texas was, relatedly, an early adopter of public education for the second sex.

From Salon ● May 4, 2013

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.

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