girlboss
noun
girl·boss
ˈgər(-ə)l-ˌbȯs 
-ˌbäs
variants
or less commonly girl boss
plural girlbosses also girl bosses
: an ambitious and successful woman (especially a businesswoman or entrepreneur)
As … a female captain of industry, she became an accidental role model of female ambition and success. She was the ultimate girlboss.—
Julia Molony
Julia Molony"I think the biggest part of being a girl boss in the office, at home, or anywhere you go is just knowing your value," [Meghan] Markle says.—Samantha Simon
Samantha SimonInstead of changing the system, the girlboss just took on those traditional leadership roles and claimed the problem had been solved by the nature of her being there. But, by deeming her "girlboss" instead of just "boss," we kept her separate, somehow othered, in the workplace world that she'd become a part of.—Abby Snyder
Abby Snydergirlboss feminism
the girl-boss era
girlboss
verb, transitive + intransitive
or less commonly girl-boss
girlbossed also girl-bossed; girlbossing also girl-bossing; girlbosses also girl-bosses
… girlbossing her way towards greater authority …
—Abigail Nussbaum
Abigail Nussbaum
Examples of girlboss in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vogue recently spoke to Walker about letting Tom Wolfe guide her expectations of present-day digital media, her favorite blog she’s ever written, the ghostly specter of the girlboss, and attempting to resist universalizing in her writing.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 May 2025
Zephyr’s girlboss attitude doesn’t offset any of the sadism.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Eh … Lively plays a girlboss named Carol who flies planes and does not like Hal’s (Reynolds) antics one bit.
—Lizzie Logan, Vulture, 2 May 2025
In Babygirl, the girlboss isn’t being vilified or even critiqued, but explored with a canny interest.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for girlboss
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Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 May 2025
Zephyr’s girlboss attitude doesn’t offset any of the sadism.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Eh … Lively plays a girlboss named Carol who flies planes and does not like Hal’s (Reynolds) antics one bit.
—Lizzie Logan, Vulture, 2 May 2025
In Babygirl, the girlboss isn’t being vilified or even critiqued, but explored with a canny interest.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for girlboss
Cite this Entry
“Girlboss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girlboss. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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