feminine

adjective fem·i·nine \ ˈfe-mə-nən \

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

To coincide with the masculine-meets-feminine theme, the brand will also be showing its Ralph Lauren Purple Label menswear collection alongside its womenswear for the first time.

— lauren alexis fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ralph Lauren Will Stage His Fall 2017 Show In His Garage," 25 July 2017
The inevitable question arises: Is there something specifically feminine about paintings by women?

— by anne tschida, miamiherald, "Women don’t get much play in the art world, but here comes ‘Women Painting’ at Miami Dade College," 24 July 2017
A mountain of research on women leaders has found that the idea of a powerful woman runs counter to most people’s expectations for what’s considered feminine –quiet, supportive, nurturing and definitely not ambitious.

— katherine timpf, National Review, "Hillary Clinton Is Even Less Popular Now Than She Was During the Election, HuffPo Blames Sexism," 20 July 2017
The Nühanzi embodies this coexistence of the masculine and feminine.

— nina huang, Glamour, "Wonder Woman is Great, But There's a Real-Life Female Warrior You Need to Know About," 19 July 2017
Please consider donating school supplies, backpacks, personal care items (shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, combs, brushes, toothbrush/paste, feminine needs) during the month of July.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Residents make Loveland pantry successful," 19 July 2017
Avoid feminine products or birth control methods that insert into the vagina, or wash hands and the vaginal area thoroughly first.

— dr. manny alvarez, Fox News, "Are you getting a UTI?," 18 July 2017
For decades, Sanrio’s central export has been Hello Kitty, an emblem of infantile feminine charm who wears an oversize bow on her head and doesn’t even have a mouth.

— amanda hess, New York Times, "How Sanrio Makes Anti-Capitalism Adorable, and Profitable," 18 July 2017
A few shelves also have small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and feminine-hygiene products.

— priscella vega, Glendale News-Press, "To stay nourished, Glendale College students turn to Food for Thought Pantry," 13 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

feminine Synonyms

Synonyms

female, womanish, womanlike, womanly

Antonyms

unfeminine, unwomanly

Related Words

girlie (or girly), girlish; effeminate, effete, epicene, sissified, sissy, unmanly; ladylike; distaff, petticoat; ultrafeminine

Near Antonyms

boyish, hoydenish, tomboyish; male, manlike, manly, mannish, masculine, virile; androgynous, neuter; Amazonian, butch; hairy-chested, hypermasculine, macho

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

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

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