feminism

noun

fem·​i·​nism ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm 

: belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests

… feminism began in the late 1840s with the campaign for women's suffrage in America. The second wave came in the 1960s with the call for women's "liberation" and equality under the law. A third wave in the 1990s was more rebellious than reformist, more anarchically individualistic than disciplined and legalistic. Some think we are in the midst of a fourth wave, sustained by the internet and social media …

—The Economist (London)

feministic

ˌfe-mə-ˈni-stik 

adjective

Examples of feminism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the social anthropologist Marlen Eskander, the cutoff silently excised immigrant experiences and second-wave feminism from Swedish culture. —Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026

This wasn’t about companies trying to empower women or an early version of corporate feminism. —Paula De La Cruz, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Her early work anticipated modern feminism by decades, however, distribution was limited by the Fascist censorship that followed her refusal to cut depictions of a lesbian affair from her first book Natalia (1931). —Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

Much of that central theme came from an original piece of writing by Charli that was given to Zamiri and his writing partner Bertie Brandes, known for her essays on fashion and feminism. —Ellise Shafer, Variety, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see feminine entry 1

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing feminism

• trans exclusionary radical feminism

Rhymes for feminism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

feminism

noun

fem·​i·​nism ˈfem-ə-ˌniz-əm 

1

: the theory supporting the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes

2

: organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests

feminist

-nəst 

noun or adjective

feministic

ˌfem-ə-ˈnis-tik 

adjective

Medical Definition

feminism

noun

fem·​i·​nism ˈfem-ə-ˌniz-əm 

: the presence of female characteristics in males