Definition of 'female'

Word Frequency

female

(fiːmeɪl )

Word forms: plural females

1. adjective

Someone who is female is a woman or a girl.

...a sixteen-piece dance band with a female singer.

Their aim is to have equal numbers of male and female MPs.

Only 13 per cent of consultants are female.

Synonyms: womanlike, woman, lady More Synonyms of female

femaleness uncountable noun

They are under pressure to negate their femaleness.

2. countable noun

Women and girls are sometimes referred to as females when they are being considered as a type.

Hay fever affects males more than females.

3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

Female matters and things relate to, belong to, or affect women rather than men.

...female infertility.

...a purveyor of female undergarments.

I realize there's no consensus on what are male or female values.

4. countable noun

You can refer to any creature that can lay eggs or produce babies from its body as a female.

Each female will lay just one egg in April or May.

Female is also an adjective.

...the scent given off by the female aphid to attract the male.

5. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]

A female flower or plant contains the part that will become the fruit when it is fertilized.

Figs have male and female flowers.

More Synonyms of female

Video: pronunciation of
female

female in British English

(ˈfiːmeɪl )

adjective

of, relating to, or designating the sex producing gametes ( ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes ( spermatozoa)

of, relating to, or characteristic of a women or female animals

female colleagues

for or composed of women or girls

female suffrage

a female choir

(of reproductive organs such as the ovary and carpel) capable of producing female gametes

(of gametes such as the ovum) capable of being fertilized by a male gamete in sexual reproduction

(of flowers) lacking, or having nonfunctional, stamens

having an internal cavity into which a projecting male counterpart can be fitted

a female thread

noun

a female animal or plant

b. sometimes derogatory

a woman or girl

Derived forms

femaleness (ˈfemaleness)

noun

Word origin

C14: from earlier femelle (influenced by male), from Latin fēmella a young woman, from fēmina a woman

Word Frequency

female in American English

(ˈfiˌmeɪl )

adjective

designating or of the sex that produces ova and bears offspring

biological symbol, ♀ see also male

of, characteristic of, or suitable to members of this sex; feminine

consisting of women or girls

designating or having a hollow part shaped to receive a corresponding inserted part ( called male)

said of pipe fittings, electric sockets, etc.

5. Botany

having pistils, archegonia, or oogonia and no stamens or antheridia

designating or of a reproductive structure or part containing large gametes (eggs) that can be fertilized by smaller, motile gametes (sperms)

designating or of any structure or part that produces fruit after it is fertilized

noun

a female person; woman or girl

a female animal or plant

SIMILAR WORDS: ˈwoman

SYNONYMY NOTE: female is the basic term applied to members of the sex that is biologically distinguished from the male sex and is used of animals or plants as well as of human beings; , feminine is now the preferred term for references, other than those basically biological, to qualities thought to be characteristic of or suitable to women, as delicacy, gentleness, etc.; , womanly suggests the noble qualities one associates with a woman, esp. one who has maturity of character; , womanish, in contrast, suggests the weaknesses and faults that are regarded as characteristic of women; , effeminate, used chiefly in reference to a man, implies delicacy, softness, or lack of virility; , ladylike refers to manners, conduct, etc. such as are expected from a refined or well-bred woman

OPPOSITES: male, masculine, manly, mannish

Derived forms

femaleness (ˈfemaleness)

noun

Word origin

ME, altered after male < femelle < OFr < L femella, dim. of femina, a woman < IE base *dhē-, to suck, suckle > L felare, to suck, filius, son, fetus, progeny, Gr thēlazein, to suckle, thele, nipple

Example sentences including
female

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How have you found coming into this industry as a female singer?The four female leads are also a skilled joy.There are so many female role models now.Female would also have been hot under the collar.The two men and a woman targeted females in their early 20s.Men still tend to get more than their female counterparts, which is hard to justify.Male founders awarded themselves salaries that were'100 per cent higher' than female counterparts.But 17 per cent of the males and 26 per cent of the females are left to suffer.A former male officer claimed that his female counterparts often'had a tougher time of it' than men.They are not making clothes for the female body.