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Meaning & use

feminine

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈfɛmɪnɪn/
US/ˈfɛmənɪn/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Having qualities, looks or behavior that are traditionally linked with women and girls.

    Grammar: Can be used before a noun (a feminine voice) or after a linking verb (the style is feminine).

    Patterns

    • feminine in style
    • a feminine touch

    She chose a soft, feminine color for the walls.

    The designer's collection mixes feminine details with strong tailoring.

    He has a gentle, almost feminine way of speaking that his friends find charming.

  2. adjectivebefore a nounformal

    Belonging to women or relating to women.

    Grammar: Often found in set phrases such as feminine hygiene or feminine pronouns.

    Patterns

    • feminine hygiene
    • a feminine name

    The store has a whole aisle of feminine hygiene products.

    Maria is a feminine name in Spanish and in English.

    The magazine aimed at a feminine audience.

  3. adjectivenot comparabletechnical

    In grammar, belonging to a class of nouns and related words that, in some languages, are treated as one of the genders.

    Grammar: This grammatical sense has no link to real-world qualities.

    Patterns

    • a feminine noun
    • feminine form

    In French, the word for table is feminine.

    The feminine form of the adjective ends in -an in Spanish.

    Learners must remember which nouns are masculine and which are feminine.

Common combinations

feminine side
He is not afraid to show his feminine side by singing in a high voice.
feminine form
The feminine form of the word has an extra letter.
feminine hygiene
The pharmacy sells feminine hygiene supplies near the front.
feminine noun
La maison is a feminine noun in French.
a feminine voice
The narrator reads in a warm, feminine voice.

Synonyms and how they differ

womanly
Womanly stresses qualities seen as natural to adult women, such as warmth, while feminine is wider and can describe style.
girly
Girly is informal and often suggests youth or frilliness, while feminine is neutral and more adult.
ladylike
Ladylike is old-fashioned and about polite manners, whereas feminine is about general qualities.
female
Female is about biological sex, while feminine is about traditional qualities, so a female can be thought of as not feminine.

Opposites

masculine

Word family

femininity noun
the quality of being feminine
feminism noun
the belief in equal rights for women
feminize verb
to make something more feminine or give it a female character
femininely adverb
in a feminine way

Commonly confused: feminine or female? feminine or feminist?

feminine vs female

Female refers to sex; feminine refers to qualities and style, which anyone can show.

feminine vs feminist

A feminist supports equal rights for women; feminine just describes qualities linked to women.

Practice

In Spanish, the noun 'casa' is ______, so it takes 'la' before it.

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