as in actors
a woman or girl who acts in a play, movie, etc.
The versatile actress can seemingly play any role. The actresses in the musical vastly outperformed their male counterparts.
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Recent Examples of actresses
Throughout the movie chaptered like a stage play, Manners captures the two actresses’ rhythms organically with an insightful and mischievously British sense of humor.
—
Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
Both actresses were nominated last year for their performances in Wicked.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
The marketing and positioning of actresses in their roles is tougher than it’s been in recent years because of the insult machinery of man-boy social media and its echoes across society more widely.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
One of the actresses had her face all distorted — that was supposed to be funny.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Audrey Hepburn paved the way for the actresses people know and love today—including Zendaya and Emma Watson, who both named the Oscar-winning actress as a source of inspiration.
—Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 18 Jan. 2026
Beyond their similar ages, frames, and hairstyles, the actresses began working at a similar time.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Bardot was one of the most famous French actresses of her time, celebrated for her beauty and fiery performances in such films as Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Truth (1960) and Jean-Luc Godard‘s Contempt (1963).
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 28 Dec. 2025
But in this version the actresses are not midlevel hopefuls; rather Ivy Lynn (Robyn Hurder) is already a star, and Karen Cartwright (Caroline Bowman) her longtime understudy.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
Both actresses were nominated last year for their performances in Wicked.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026
The marketing and positioning of actresses in their roles is tougher than it’s been in recent years because of the insult machinery of man-boy social media and its echoes across society more widely.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
One of the actresses had her face all distorted — that was supposed to be funny.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Audrey Hepburn paved the way for the actresses people know and love today—including Zendaya and Emma Watson, who both named the Oscar-winning actress as a source of inspiration.
—Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 18 Jan. 2026
Beyond their similar ages, frames, and hairstyles, the actresses began working at a similar time.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Bardot was one of the most famous French actresses of her time, celebrated for her beauty and fiery performances in such films as Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Truth (1960) and Jean-Luc Godard‘s Contempt (1963).
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 28 Dec. 2025
But in this version the actresses are not midlevel hopefuls; rather Ivy Lynn (Robyn Hurder) is already a star, and Karen Cartwright (Caroline Bowman) her longtime understudy.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actresses
Noun
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Four of its actors -- Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn -- were nominated, though newcomer Chase Infiniti was left out in best actress.—
JAKE COYLE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
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The nominees in all 24 Academy Award categories—including the brand-new best casting category—were revealed Thursday by actors Danielle Brooks (who was nominated for an Oscar herself in 2024) and Lewis Pullman at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills via livestream.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Alaska, Hawaiian are consistent performers The AQR also singled out Alaska Airlines as the steadiest performer in the industry.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Full-court press, players diving for balls and tight defensive coverage gave both teams trouble throughout the night and resulted in a low-scoring affair.—
Dan Rios,
Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
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However, the Skippers (3-8) came to life behind its young core of players.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Actresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actresses. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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