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

The series will also feature debates on feminism, religion and more. —CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

Some depopulation alarmists, especially on the right, blame the fertility crash on the social changes brought on by feminism and the liberal emphasis on individual fulfillment. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Her op-eds and essays on gender, motherhood, family, feminism, and writing have appeared in Slate, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and elsewhere. —Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025

Today’s feminism seems to want this model to be genderless. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025

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