sexism

noun

sex·ism | \ ˈsek-ˌsi-zəm

Definition of sexism

1 : prejudice or discrimination based on sex especially : discrimination against women

2 : behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex

Other Words from sexism Example Sentences Learn More about sexism

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Examples of sexism in a Sentence

the problem of sexism in language

Recent Examples on the Web

There have been four female Supreme Court Justices, and zero female presidents—always a fun fact for those who feel sexism does not exist in America. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why We Need a Tough President Like Kamala Harris," 9 May 2019 Outraged by record-industry sexism in 1976, Ann Wilson of Heart wrote a poem expressing the pain and humiliation of workplace harassment. — Marc Myers, WSJ, "The Rage Behind Heart’s ‘Barracuda’," 8 May 2019 Earlier this year, a detailed insider report from a former employee explored the studio’s rigid culture of sexism, which systematically kept women away from advancement or leadership positions while protecting men who harassed or abused them. — Bijan Stephen, The Verge, "Pixar hires its second female feature director," 29 Nov. 2018 The temptation is to write Debbie’s response off to resentment (Debbie’s ex-husband cheated on her with Ruth), selfishness, naïveté or internalized sexism. — James Poniewozik, kansascity, "Netflix’s ‘Glow’ brings #MeToo to the 1980s," 3 July 2018 In 2017, Jimmy Kimmel made some progressive statements, addressing the elephant in the room about Harvey Weinstein and praising the women who were standing up against sexism. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Kevin Hart Had an Emotional Response to the News He's Hosting the Oscars," 5 Dec. 2018 Photo by Jaime Lawson/Getty Images for USTA The US Open might be over for Serena Williams, who lost the women’s singles final Saturday evening, but her fight against sexism in sports is not. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Watch: Serena Williams calls out sexism in tennis after US Open loss," 9 Sep. 2018 When the band won the best international band award at the VO5 NME Awards 2018 - beating out the likes of the Foo Fighters, the National, the Killers and more - the sisters used their victory speech to speak out against industry-wide sexism. — Travis M. Andrews, chicagotribune.com, "Like pretty much every industry, music has a huge gender wage gap — just ask Haim," 14 June 2018 Liani Reyna, the first woman member of the bureau's elite tactical squad, was honored Tuesday with a city award recognizing her fight against sexism and discrimination. — Maxine Bernstein, OregonLive.com, "Portland police sergeant honored for fighting sexism, discrimination," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sexism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.