Meaning & use
actress
Last updated
UK/ˈæktrəs/
US/ˈæktrəs/
Meaning
nouncountable
a woman who performs in plays, films, or television shows
Grammar: Countable; use 'a/an' for one, and 'actresses' for more than one.
Patterns
- a famous actress
- work as an actress
- an actress in a film
She dreamed of becoming an actress and moved to Hollywood.
The actress gave a powerful performance in the new drama.
Many actresses now prefer to be called actors.
Word forms
| plural | actresses |
|---|
Common combinations
- famous actress
- The famous actress waved to the crowd at the premiere.
- work as an actress
- She worked as an actress for ten years before becoming a director.
- leading actress
- He was named leading actress in the school play.
- aspiring actress
- The aspiring actress took acting classes every weekend.
Synonyms and how they differ
- actor
- Actor is now often used for any gender, so it is more neutral than 'actress'.
- performer
- Performer is broader and includes dancers, singers, and others, not just actors.
Word family
Commonly confused: actress or actress?
actress vs actress
Spelling: it ends in -ess, not -ice or -is. The plural is 'actresses', with -es.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
The plural of 'actress' is 'actresses' (add -es). 'Actress' is singular and cannot be used after 'two'; 'actresss' and 'actressies' are incorrect spellings.
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