gender
gender Lexical Profile
gender Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities associated with being male, female, or non-binary, typically considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones.
"The sociological study examined how workplace expectations vary across different genders."
In languages that use such classifications, a grammatical category into which nouns and pronouns are placed (such as masculine, feminine, or neuter) that governs agreement with adjectives, articles, and verbs.
"Students learning German must memorize the grammatical gender of every noun along with its meaning."
A traditional Indonesian metallophone used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan music, consisting of tuned bronze keys suspended over bamboo or metal tube resonators.
"The musician used two disc-padded mallets to play intricate melodies on the gender during the gamelan performance."
• verb
To assign a specific gender to a person, role, activity, or thing, or to shape something according to social norms of gender.
"Historically, many societies have gendered certain professions, such as nursing and engineering."
To engender, breed, or give rise to something (archaic).
"In Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello speaks of a cistern where foul toads knot and gender."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern academic, medical, and everyday usage, 'gender' refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and personal identity, whereas 'sex' refers specifically to biological and physiological characteristics.
• Rhymes for gender
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 14th century from Old French 'gendre' (kind, species, character), which derives from Latin 'genus' (birth, family, or sort), sharing an Indo-European root with words like 'gene', 'general', and 'genre'.