feminine
feminine Lexical Profile
feminine Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having qualities, manners, or an appearance traditionally associated with women and girls.
"The boutique specializes in floral dresses with a classic, feminine silhouette."
Denoting or belonging to a grammatical class of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives that includes words referring to females, as well as many other words in inflected languages.
"In French and Spanish, the word for the moon takes a feminine article."
In prosody, having an unaccented final syllable in a poetic line or rhyme.
"Shakespeare frequently used a feminine ending in his blank verse to create a natural, conversational rhythm."
• noun
The female sex or gender, or the collective qualities and principles associated with women (usually preceded by 'the').
"Her latest art exhibition explores ancient mythological symbols of the divine feminine."
The feminine grammatical gender, or a word or form belonging to that gender.
"In Latin grammar, adjectives must agree with their nouns in the masculine, feminine, or neuter."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'female' refers primarily to biological sex, 'feminine' refers to cultural, social, or aesthetic traits traditionally associated with women and girls, as well as grammatical gender.
• Rhymes for feminine
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Old French feminin, from Latin femininus ('of the female gender'), derived from femina ('woman').