weaker sex
Americannoun
noun
Sensitive Note
This is a dated term, usually used for humorous effect but sometimes perceived as condescending to women. It reinforces the stereotype of a weak female.
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.
The Americans definitely seems to be depicting men as the weaker sex, which is refreshing—and in my opinion—an accurate depiction of the world of espionage.
From Slate • Mar. 21, 2013
In the animal world too, across a range of species, males tend to be the "weaker sex" in terms of immune defences, the Cambridge research team said.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2012
Women aren't a weaker sex but, as you said, a separate one.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Gentlemen," cried Poiret, his heart swelling with the courage that love gives to the ovine male, "respect the weaker sex."
From Father Goriot by Marriage, Ellen
The religions of antiquity have paid even more homage to the weaker sex in the matter, as the multitude of musical nymphs and fostering goddesses will show.
From Woman's Work in Music by Elson, Arthur
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.
