womanhood

noun

wom·​an·​hood ˈwu̇-mən-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce womanhood (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈwō-,
 or  ˈwə-
1
a
: the state of being a woman
b
: the distinguishing character or qualities of a woman or of womankind
2

Examples of womanhood in a Sentence

a young girl on the verge of womanhood What is your view of womanhood? The book is a celebration of womanhood.
Recent Examples on the Web The estranged sisters all deal with their diasporic identity, womanhood and vices on their own – but their fierce love for one another always brings them back together. USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024 The moment comes right before America Ferrera’s big monologue about the trammels of womanhood, when Robbie soliloquizes, too, about the loss of her self-esteem. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Yet amid all the elaborate cultural festivity around the girl’s arrival at womanhood, there’s a sobering catch. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 The film smuggles into its acid-bright grooves jokes about fascism, women’s ability to juggle emotion and logic, and the banality of Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut, all while asking more meaningful questions about the nature of womanhood and existence itself. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2024 But, for all the swans’ monologues about the challenges of womanhood, the nature of their suffering remains vague. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2024 As each Nora states with emphatic lucidity, informed by today’s society where women’s rights are threatened, the duties and dignities of womanhood begin with humanity, and the doll wife must be destroyed. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024 Its newest fragrance, Gaultier Divine, is a celebration of divinity of womanhood and the right for every woman to feel beautiful, unique and proud of her differences. Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 28 Jan. 2024 Anna gets right up to the pane of womanhood, but is never admitted, never initiated. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'womanhood.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of womanhood was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near womanhood

Cite this Entry

“Womanhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/womanhood. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

womanhood

noun
wom·​an·​hood ˈwu̇m-ən-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce womanhood (audio)
1
: the state of being a woman
2
: qualities associated with women
3

More from Merriam-Webster on womanhood

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