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