as in feminine
of or relating to a man who has or displays qualities traditionally considered more suitable for women
an ancient statue of a young man of graceful, epicene beauty
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Recent Examples of epicene
For many men — and many women — these figures remain far more admirable than the epicene children of liberal imagination.
—
Samuel Goldman, The Week, 3 Nov. 2021
His name is Strat, and he is played with beguiling epicene virility and lungs of steel by the willowy Andrew Polec.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2017
Samuel Goldman, The Week, 3 Nov. 2021
His name is Strat, and he is played with beguiling epicene virility and lungs of steel by the willowy Andrew Polec.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epicene
Adjective
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Love Purse collects purses under $20, along with feminine products, deodorant, soap, body lotion, hand sanitizer, dental hygiene and hair care products, slippers and socks, compact mirrors, chocolates and mints, and other items.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Its softer and more feminine guise includes floral upholstery in lemony shades.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Throughout the 1900s, and even into the ‘80s and ’90s, women often were encouraged to be more effeminate, and male counterparts were told to embrace their masculinity.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
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Phil initially teases Peter for being weak and effeminate.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In Benediction, Terence Davies had to split Siegfried Sassoon into two (Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi) to create a comparably complex personality, but Scott’s Adam is all the more moving for being less refined, a performance of sustained fragility and unmanly truth.—
Armond White,
National Review,
29 Dec. 2023
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Why is his governess, Mrs. Brock, fired for encouraging Richard’s unmanly interest in poetry and music?—
Francine Prose,
The New York Review of Books,
22 Nov. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Epicene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epicene. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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