Dictionary

femininity en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /fɛmɪˈnɪnɪti/

Etymology

From Middle English femynynytee, femyninytee, variants of femynyte (archaic modern English feminity), equivalent to feminine + -ity.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) The sum of all attributes that are feminine or convey womanhood.
   • It's almost eerie, in the wake of the Lawrence Summers controversy, to encounter the words of an earlier Harvard president, John Kirkland, a "friend and mentor" of Elizabeth's, who advised her that if any woman "is raised by genius and knowledge above the level of her sex, her neglect of attention appropriate to the best half of creation, attentions called femininities, will more than counterbalance all her advantages and reduce her below other women." 2005 April 17, Francine Rose, “'The Peabody Sisters': Reflected Glory”, in The New York Times:
   • One outcome of the idea of fluid masculinity and femininity is the notion of genderqueerness. 2012, Jo Reger, Everywhere and Nowhere, page 160:
   • A contributing factor to this slightly regressive femininity may have been the sugary fabrics (silver lamé, tulle over sequins) and the meringuelike puffs and baby Googums bows at the neck. 2007 February 6, Cathy Horyn, “Young Spirits, One of Them an Old Master”, in The New York Times:

Forms

Antonyms

masculinity · manlikeness

Deriveds

antifemininity · toxic femininity · cisfemininity · hyperfemininity

Relateds

feminization · feminine · feminize

Synonyms

womanlikeness · femineity · feminineness · woman

Translations (67)

sk ženskosť (femininity) · ro feminitate (femininity) · ar اُنوثة (femininity) · ba гүзәллек (femininity) · hi स्त्रीता (femininity) · gl feminidade (femininity) · pt feminilidade (femininity) · ga bandacht (femininity) · ba нәфислек (femininity) · lv sievišķīgums (femininity) · de Fraulichkeit (femininity) · hi स्त्रीत्व (femininity) · ga banúlacht (femininity) · pl żeńskość (femininity) · de Weiblichkeit (femininity) · es femineidad (femininity) · da kvindelighed (femininity) · bg же́нственост (femininity) · bg же́нскост (femininity) · tt нәфислелек (femininity) · tt гүзәллек (femininity) · et naiselikkus (femininity) · el θηλυκότητα (femininity) · gv bwoirrinys (femininity) · ja 女性性 (femininity) · sh же̏нско̄ст (femininity) · cs ženskost (femininity) · cmn 婦女特質 /妇女特质 (femininity) · hi नारीत्व (femininity) · ru же́нственность (femininity) · fr féminité (femininity) · ady бзылъфыгъагъ (femininity) · sh жѐнствено̄ст (femininity) · nl vrouwelijkheid (femininity) · enm femynyte (femininity) · be жано́цкасць (femininity) · nn femininitet (femininity) · ang wīfhād (femininity) · fa زنانگی (femininity) · ka ქალურობა (femininity) · it femminilità (femininity) · ja 女らしさ (femininity) · tt йомшаклык (femininity) · kk әйелдік (femininity) · fi feminiinisyys (femininity) · eo ineco (femininity) · tg занонагӣ (femininity) · pt feminidade (femininity) · ba күркәмлек (femininity) · ba мөләйемлек (femininity) · sh žènstvenōst (femininity) · gv bwoirrinid (femininity) · mr बाईपण (femininity) · es feminidad (femininity) · te ఆడతనం (femininity) · sh žȅnskōst (femininity) · ta பெண்மை (femininity) · uk жіно́чість (femininity) · tt мөлаемлылык (femininity) · fi naisellisuus (femininity) · pl kobiecość (femininity) · nb femininitet (femininity) · ca feminitat (femininity) · cs ženství (femininity) · hi स्त्रैणता (femininity) · mr स्त्रीत्व (femininity) · lv sievišķība (femininity)