Definition of natural gender
: the phenomena in a language that resemble grammatical gender but are not
the use of the pronoun she in the sentence the girl may do as she likes is an instance of natural gender, since the choice of the pronoun she is not determined by the noun girl but by the actual sex of the person to whom the noun girl refers
Learn More About natural gender
Statistics for natural gender
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Natural gender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural%20gender. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Test Your Vocabulary
Words Named After People
-
- Namesake of the leotard, Jules Léotard had what profession?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
What Are You Wearing?
Roll up your sleeves and identify these garments
Take the quiz
-
Name That Animal: Volume 2
Can you tell a meerkat from a wombat?
Take the quiz
-
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Take the quiz
-
Spelling Bee Quiz
Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...
Take the quiz
Share natural gender