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
Whereas the 2013-era girlboss reshaped herself to accommodate her company, her present-day incarnation turns herself into a company, a twenty-four-hour amalgamation of C.E.O. and product.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Toxic, Chappell Roan-belting girlboss… or alien among us sent to annihilate all of living Earth?
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2025
Dorothy Lyon, like Wendy, is a Mary Sue with all the unfortunate girlboss tropes on display.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Wrapped in millennial pink while sporting desk plaques reading #girlboss and #bossbabe, she was sold through autobiographies, TED Talks, and Instagram feeds promising that hustle could turn anyone into a CEO.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for girlboss
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Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Toxic, Chappell Roan-belting girlboss… or alien among us sent to annihilate all of living Earth?
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2025
Dorothy Lyon, like Wendy, is a Mary Sue with all the unfortunate girlboss tropes on display.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Wrapped in millennial pink while sporting desk plaques reading #girlboss and #bossbabe, she was sold through autobiographies, TED Talks, and Instagram feeds promising that hustle could turn anyone into a CEO.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 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 5 Nov. 2025.
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