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.
Granted, that’s also what mature womanhood looks like, but so what?
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
"I can't drive past the hospital without feeling like I'm about to have a panic attack. I feel a deep loss of my womanhood."
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 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
While she has since embraced her womanhood, she says she still lives with the irreversible effects—including chronic pain, a low voice, excessive hair growth and the inability to breastfeed her child.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
It was like a sudden turn of fortune, to be thrust one day into womanhood.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
