Woman — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈwu̇-mən/ wom·an

Meaning & Definition of Woman

Woman (noun)

  1. an adult female person
  2. a woman belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation) —usually used in combination
  3. womankind

Woman (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an adult female human being

    "the first woman to become governor of the state"

    similar: female, lady
    related: dame, gentlewoman, madam, madame, senora, babe (slang), beauty, belle, damsel, doll, gal, girl, ingenue, lass, lassie, mademoiselle, maid, maiden, miss, senorita

  2. a female romantic companion

    "wanted to give his woman all the finer things in life"

    similar: gal, gill, girl, girlfriend, inamorata, lady, ladylove, old lady
    related: mistress, moll, beloved, darling, dear, favorite, flame, honey, love, lover, significant other, sweet, sweetheart, valentine

  3. a female partner in a marriage

    "treated his woman to dinner at a five-star restaurant for their fifteenth wedding anniversary"

    similar: helpmate, helpmeet, lady, madam, missus, Mrs., old lady, wife, wifey
    related: bride, better half, companion, consort, mate, partner, significant other, soulmate, spouse, dowager, matron, hausfrau, homemaker, housekeeper, housewife, stay-at-home, widow

Related Entry: Woman of easy virtue (phrase)

Woman of easy virtue is a different word from Woman. The synonyms below are for woman of easy virtue, not for woman.

  1. a boldly flirtatious or sexually promiscuous woman

    "an opera about a rake spending his money on women of easy virtue"

    similar: chippie (slang, disapproving), doxy (old-fashioned, disapproving), fancy woman (dated), floozy, hoochie (slang), hussy, Jezebel, minx, quean (disparaging), tramp (disparaging), trollop, wench (archaic)
    related: siren, temptress, vamp, grisette, prostitute (sometimes offensive), trull

Related Entry: Woman of letters (phrase)

Woman of letters is a different word from Woman. The synonyms below are for woman of letters, not for woman.

  1. a person who creates a written work

    "Julian regards Maya Angelou as his favorite woman of letters."

    similar: author, litterateur, pen, penman, scribe, scrivener, writer, man of letters
    related: auteur, belletrist, stylist, wordsmith, coauthor, coscenarist, cowriter, ghostwriter, hack, hatchet man, scribbler, wordmonger, biographer, hagiographer, autobiographer, memoirist, memorialist, fabulist, fictioneer, fictionist, novelist, romancer, storyteller, essayist, pamphleteer, satirist, dramatist, playwright, scenarist, screenwriter, scriptwriter, prosaist, prosateur, proser, bard, poet, rhymer, versifier, blogger, columnist, journalist, newspaperman, paragrapher, reporter, sportswriter
    opposite: nonauthor

Related Entry: Woman of the street (phrase)

Woman of the street is a different word from Woman. The synonyms below are for woman of the street, not for woman.

  1. a woman who engages in sexual activities for money

    "a story about a young woman driven by poverty to become a woman of the street"

    similar: bawd (old-fashioned), call girl, cocotte, courtesan, drab, hooker (informal + disapproving), hustler, prostitute (sometimes offensive), sex worker, streetwalker, tart (informal + disapproving)
    related: madam, madame, chippie (slang, disapproving), doxy (old-fashioned, disapproving), floozy, tramp (disparaging), hussy, jade, minx, coquette, flirt, libertine, siren, tempter, temptress, vamp

Related Entry: Fancy woman (noun)

Fancy woman is a different word from Woman. The synonyms below are for fancy woman, not for woman.

  1. a boldly flirtatious or sexually promiscuous woman

    "in those days a woman who acted on stage was often thought of as a fancy woman"

    similar: chippie (slang, disapproving), doxy (old-fashioned, disapproving), floozy, hoochie (slang), hussy, Jezebel, minx, quean (disparaging), tramp (disparaging), trollop, wench (archaic), woman of easy virtue
    related: siren, temptress, vamp, grisette, prostitute (sometimes offensive), trull

Related Entry: Other woman (noun)

Other woman is a different word from Woman. The synonyms below are for other woman, not for woman.

  1. a female other than his wife with whom a married man has a continuing sexual relationship

    "tired of being the other woman, she gave him an ultimatum: divorce his wife or take a hike"

    similar: concubine, doxy, mistress
    related: lover, paramour, courtesan, demimondaine, demirep, odalisque, girlfriend

Related Entry: Renaissance woman (noun)

Renaissance woman is a different word from Woman. The synonyms below are for Renaissance woman, not for woman.

  1. as in Renaissance man, polyhistor

    similar: polyhistor, polymath, Renaissance man, brain, brainiac, genius, intellect, thinker, whiz, wiz, wizard, blue, bluestocking, highbrow, intellectual, sage, savant, geek, longhair, nerd, master, virtuoso, ace, crackerjack, natural
    opposite: ignoramus, illiterate, know-nothing, lowbrow, anti-intellectual, philistine, ass, donkey, fool, jackass, blockhead, dodo, dolt, dope, dumbbell, dummy, dunce, fathead, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, idiot, imbecile, knucklehead, moron, nitwit, numskull, pinhead

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Woman

The most common words with a similar meaning to Woman:

female, lady, gal, gill, girl, girlfriend, inamorata, ladylove, old lady, helpmate, helpmeet, madam, missus, Mrs., wife, wifey

Related Words for Woman

dame, gentlewoman, madame, senora, babe, beauty, belle, damsel, doll, ingenue, lass, lassie, mademoiselle, maid, maiden, miss, senorita, mistress, moll, beloved, darling, dear, favorite, flame, honey, love, lover, significant other, sweet, sweetheart

Word Forms of Woman

Inflections: women

Derived words: woman (adjective), womanless (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Woman

Middle English, from Old English wīfman, from wīf woman, wife + man human being, man

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Woman

Words & Phrases Containing Woman

woman of color, woman of ill repute, woman of letters, woman of the street, woman's rights, woman suffrage, woman of the world, woman's/feminine touch, anti-woman

Frequently Asked Questions about Woman

What does "Woman" mean?

"Woman" means an adult female person. As a noun, it is defined as: an adult female person. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Woman"?

Other words for "Woman" include female, lady, gal, gill, girl, girlfriend, inamorata and ladylove. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Woman" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Woman"?

There are 63 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Woman". Common alternatives include female, lady, gal, gill, girl, girlfriend, inamorata, ladylove, old lady and helpmate.

How do you use "Woman" in a sentence?

Examples of "Woman" in a sentence: "the first woman to become governor of the state"; "wanted to give his woman all the finer things in life"; "treated his woman to dinner at a five-star restaurant for their fifteenth wedding anniversary".

Is "Woman" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Woman" is a noun.

Is "Woman" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Woman" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Woman"?

"Woman" is pronounced /ˈwu̇-mən/ and divided into syllables as wom·an.

What is the origin of the word "Woman"?

"Woman" comes from Middle English, from Old English wīfman, from wīf woman, wife + man human being, man. First known use: before 12th century.