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female

/ˌfiˈmeɪl/

/ˈfimeɪl/

Other forms: females

The female animals are the ones who can have babies. They’re not males. Girls and women are female humans, but there are male and female animals of all kinds. Just ask Noah.

Female animals are those that produce ova, which are fertilized by the spermatozoa of males. The main difference between females and males is that females bear the offspring — and that goes for dogs, chickens, catfish, and anything in between. There are even male and female squash flowers. The word female is used equally as a noun and an adjective. For example, the female lead in a play is inevitably a female.

Definitions of female
  1. adjective
    being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
    “a female heir”
    female holly trees bear the berries”
    Synonyms:
    egg-producing, young-bearing
    capable of producing eggs and bearing offspring
    pistillate
    having gynoecia, or pistils, the ovule-bearing organ of a seed plant
    feminine
    associated with women and not with men
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    Antonyms:
    male
    being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that perform the fertilizing function in generation
    androgynous
    having both male and female characteristics
    male
    for or pertaining to or composed of men or boys
    antheral, staminate
    capable of fertilizing female organs
    phallic, priapic
    resembling or being a phallus
    priapic
    overly concerned with masculinity and male sexuality
    young-begetting
    capable of fathering offspring
    bisexual, epicene
    having an ambiguous sexual identity
    gynandromorphic, gynandromorphous
    having both male and female morphological characteristics
    hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic
    of animal or plant; having both male female reproductive organs
    intersexual
    having sexual characteristics intermediate between those of male and female
    pseudohermaphrodite, pseudohermaphroditic
    having internal reproductive organs of one sex and external sexual characteristics of the other sex
    unisex
    not distinguished on the basis of sex
    masculine
    associated with men and not with women
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    characteristic of or peculiar to a woman
    female suffrage”
    synonyms: distaff
    feminine
    associated with women and not with men
  3. adjective
    for or pertaining to or composed of women or girls
    “the female lead in the play”
    “a female chorus”
  4. noun
    an animal that produces gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes (spermatozoa)
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    male
    an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)
    types:
    show 4 types...
    hide 4 types...
    hen
    female of certain aquatic animals e.g. octopus or lobster
    dam
    female parent of an animal especially domestic livestock
    female mammal
    animals that nourish their young with milk
    filly
    a young female horse under the age of four
    type of:
    animal, animate being, beast, brute, creature, fauna
    a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
  5. noun
    a person who belongs to the sex that can have babies
    synonyms: female person
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    male, male person
    a person who belongs to the sex that cannot have babies
    types:
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    female offspring
    a child who is female
    female child, girl, little girl
    a youthful female person
    foster sister, foster-sister
    your foster sister is a female who is not a daughter of your parents but who is raised by your parents
    girl wonder
    an extremely talented young female person
    adult female, woman
    an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
    woman
    a female person who plays a significant role (wife or mistress or girlfriend) in the life of a particular man
    Black woman
    a woman who is Black
    white woman
    a woman who is White
    amazon, virago
    a large, strong, and aggressive woman
    maenad
    (Greek mythology) a woman participant in the orgiastic rites of Dionysus
    bachelor girl, bachelorette
    a young unmarried woman who lives alone
    baggage
    a worthless or immoral woman
    ball-breaker, ball-buster
    a demanding woman who destroys men's confidence
    B-girl, bar girl
    a woman employed by a bar to act as a companion to men customers
    bas bleu, bluestocking
    a woman having literary or intellectual interests
    bridesmaid, maid of honor
    an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding
    broad
    slang term for a woman
    Campfire Girl
    a girl who is a member of Campfire Girls; for girls age 7-18
    cat
    a spiteful woman gossip
    Cinderella
    a woman whose merits were not been recognized but who then achieves sudden success and recognition
    coquette, flirt, minx, tease, vamp, vamper
    a seductive woman who flirts, often for personal gain
    dame, gentlewoman, lady, ma'am, madam
    a woman of refinement
    daughter, girl
    a female human offspring
    deb, debutante
    a young woman making her debut into society
    divorcee, grass widow
    a divorced woman or a woman who is separated from her husband
    ex, ex-wife
    a woman who was formerly a particular man's wife
    dominatrix
    a dominating woman (especially one who plays that role in a sadomasochistic sexual relationship)
    donna
    an Italian woman of rank
    Delilah, enchantress, femme fatale, siren, temptress
    a woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive
    eyeful
    a strikingly beautiful woman
    farm girl
    a girl who has grown up on a farm
    flower girl
    a young girl who carries flowers in a (wedding) procession
    geisha, geisha girl
    a Japanese woman trained to entertain men with conversation and singing and dancing
    fille, girl, miss, missy, young lady, young woman
    a young woman
    girl
    a friendly informal reference to a grown woman
    girl, girlfriend, lady friend
    a girl or woman with whom one is romantically involved
    girlfriend
    any female friend
    gold digger
    a woman who associates with or marries a rich man in order to get valuables from him through gifts or a divorce settlement
    gravida
    a pregnant woman
    heroine
    a woman possessing heroic qualities or a woman who has performed heroic deeds
    inamorata
    a woman with whom you are in love or have an intimate relationship
    jezebel
    a shameless impudent scheming woman
    jilt
    a woman who jilts a lover
    lady
    a polite name for any woman
    maenad
    an unnaturally frenzied or distraught woman
    materfamilias, matriarch
    a female head of a family or tribe
    matriarch
    a feisty older woman with a big bosom (as drawn in cartoons)
    matron
    a woman in charge of nursing in a medical institution or school
    mestiza
    a woman of mixed racial ancestry (especially mixed European and Native American ancestry)
    fancy woman, kept woman, mistress
    an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
    moppet
    a little girl (usually one you are fond of)
    mother figure
    a woman who evokes the feelings usually reserved for a mother
    nanny, nurse, nursemaid
    a person who is the custodian of children
    nullipara
    (obstetrics) a woman who has never give birth to a child
    houri, nymph
    a voluptuously beautiful young woman
    nymphet
    a sexually attractive young woman
    old woman
    a woman who is old
    schoolgirl
    a girl attending school
    Scout
    a Boy Scout or Girl Scout
    shiksa, shikse
    a derogatory term used by Jews to refer to non-Jewish women
    beauty, dish, knockout, looker, lulu, mantrap, peach, ravisher, smasher, stunner, sweetheart
    a very attractive or seductive looking woman
    sylph
    a slender graceful young woman
    unmarried woman
    a woman who is not married
    vestal
    a chaste woman
    Wac
    a member of the Women's Army Corps
    Wave
    a member of the women's reserve of the United States Navy; originally organized during World War II but now no longer a separate branch
    widow, widow woman
    a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
    married woman, wife
    a married woman; a partner in marriage
    wonder woman
    a woman who can be a successful wife and have a professional career at the same time
    dowager
    a dignified older woman, especially one who has high status or wealth
    doyenne
    a woman who is the most experienced, skilled, or respected person in some field
    type of:
    individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul
    a human being
Pronunciation
US

/ˌfiˈmeɪl/

UK

/ˈfimeɪl/

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