tigress

American

[tahy-gris] / ˈtaɪ grɪs /

noun

a female tiger.
a woman resembling a tiger, as in fierceness or courage.

tigress British

/ ˈtaɪɡrɪs /

noun

a female tiger
a fierce, cruel, or wildly passionate woman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tigress

1605–15; earlier tigresse < French; tiger, -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.

“Tiger With Cubs” depicts a tigress nursing her young under pine trees as magpies heckle them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

But Knight, Larraín, and Jolie are all careful to avoid reducing Callas to an over-the-top ableist stereotype or portraying her as the ruthless prima donna tigress the media painted her as.

From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024

"The young tigress is one of thousands of big cats that fall victim to the commercial illegal trade in Europe every year," the group said.

From Reuters • Jul. 27, 2023

He did so, returning on the back of a tigress.

From Scientific American • Apr. 22, 2023

Suddenly he glimpsed the tigress, pacing back and forth.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023