feminine

adjective fem·i·nine \ ˈfe-mə-nən \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Definition of feminine

1 : female 1a(1)

2 : characteristic of or appropriate or unique to women

feminine beauty

a feminine perspective

3 : of, relating to, or constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to females

a feminine noun

4 a : being an unstressed and usually additional final syllable after the final complete foot in a line of verse

a feminine ending

b of rhyme : having an unstressed final syllable

c : having the final chord occurring on a weak beat

music in feminine cadences

—

femininely

adverb

—

feminineness

play \ˈfe-mə-nə(n)-nəs\ noun

See feminine defined for English-language learners

See feminine defined for kids

Examples of feminine in a Sentence

The book examines the subject from a feminine perspective.
They've added some feminine touches to the decor.
The feminine form of the Spanish adjective “lindo” is “linda.”

Recent Examples of feminine from the Web

Those who bring diapers (sizes 3 to 5), baby wipes, deodorant, feminine products, baby Tylenol or ibuprofen to Benjy’s at 2424 Dunstan Road will receive a $20 gift card to the restaurant.

— Houston Chronicle, "Benjy’s collecting items for families at the border," 20 June 2018
From the notebook *Check the record: Mayoral candidate Willie Wilson is giving $200,000 worth of feminine hygiene products to Cook County Jail.

— chicago tribune staff, chicagotribune.com, "Morning Spin: Rauner spends another night at Quincy veterans home," 17 May 2018
One is raising young men and boys with a feminine side, which is so crucial, and the whole social media.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Author and psychotherapist Esther Perel on Recode Decode," 26 Mar. 2018
Though 33 years apart, both daughters have been used strategically to advance their father's agenda in a distinctly feminine way.

— nicola pardy, refinery29.com, "Before Ivanka Trump, There Was Julie Nixon," 12 Mar. 2018
Someone who loved perfume, who was very feminine, who enjoyed dressing up, who didn’t let her disabilities define her.

— emily zemler, latimes.com, "The real Frida Kahlo comes alive in a London exhibit," 18 June 2018
Much like cisgender women, trans women are expected to cater to conventional standards of physical beauty; they're asked to be feminine and soft—to be able to blend in.

— serena sonoma, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Black Trans Women Are Redefining Beauty Standards," 1 May 2018
Adorned with matte gold beading and sequin, the pale pink look was unapologetically feminine, combining glitzy embellishment and a color palette worthy of Barbie.

— janelle okwodu, Vogue, "Amal Clooney Does Barbie Girl Glamour the Grownup Way," 8 June 2018
Her brand has always traded in wit, grace and a functionality that is also feminine.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Kate Spade, Entrepreneur," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'feminine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of feminine

Middle English, from Anglo-French feminin, from Latin femininus, from femina woman; akin to Old English delu nipple, Latin filius son, felix, fetus, & fecundus fruitful, felare to suck, Greek thēlē nipple

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

feminine Synonyms

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

feminine

noun

Definition of feminine

1 a : a noun, pronoun, adjective, or inflectional form or class of the feminine gender

b : the feminine gender

2 : the embodiment or conception of a timeless or idealized feminine nature

See feminine defined for English-language learners

Examples of feminine in a Sentence

The feminine of the Spanish adjective “lindo” is “linda.”

Recent Examples of feminine from the Web

Her navy blue coat took cues from traditional suiting and featured a double breasted, peak-lapel finish, which was a boyish foil to her feminine flared trousers.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Victoria Beckham’s Rainy Day Uniform is Plucked Straight From Her Fall 2018 Runway Show," 11 Feb. 2018
At the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday (May 7), award-winning actress and musician Hailee Steinfeld walked the red carpet in her usual feminine yet edgy style.

— braudie blais-billie, Billboard, "The Effortless Cool Behind Hailee Steinfeld's MTV Movie & TV Awards Lavender Minidress: Exclusive," 7 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of feminine

see ¹feminine

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

FEMININE Defined for English Language Learners

feminine

adjective

Definition of feminine for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or suited to women or girls
grammar in some languages : of or belonging to the class of words (called a gender) that ordinarily includes most of the words referring to females