womanhood
Americannoun
-
the state of being a woman; womanly character or qualities.
-
women collectively.
American womanhood.
noun
-
the state or quality of being a woman or being womanly
-
women collectively
Etymology
Origin of womanhood
A Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at woman, -hood
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.
Her unsteady ascent toward womanhood coincides, hysterically, with the theater company’s descent into chaos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
"We respectfully emphasise that womanhood and female biology are not uniform," they claimed.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
When “Frankenstein” was first published without Shelley’s name, and chatter about its author began to spread, an early commentary in the British Critic scorned the dissonance between Shelley’s womanhood and the novel’s monstrous narrative.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
On each project, she bears a new side to herself, often diving headfirst into the depths of her identity, love life and womanhood.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025
Gravely, the parents stepped over these, to show that they accompanied their daughter on her journey to womanhood.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
