ENGLISH
REFERENCE

feminism

n.
US //ˈfɛmɪˌnɪzəm// UK //fˈɛmɪnˌɪzəm// fem·i·nism
  1. 1 social/political movement (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the belief that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men, and the organized effort to reach that goal.

    the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Uncountable in its general sense; countable when referring to specific historical waves or schools of thought.

    Example

    Feminism has changed how society views work and family life over the last century.

    Example

    The rise of intersectional feminism has highlighted how race, class, and gender overlap to create unique experiences of discrimination.
    • women's rights
    • equalitarianism
  2. 2 femininity (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic

    an old-fashioned word for the quality of being feminine or having female characteristics.

    the state or quality of being feminine. This sense is largely obsolete in modern discourse, having been replaced by 'femininity'.

    Example

    In the old book, the author praised the lady for her grace and feminism.

    Example

    Nineteenth-century texts occasionally use feminism to describe a woman's physical appearance rather than her political convictions.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is archaic; modern speakers exclusively use 'feminism' to refer to the political and social movement.
Origin

From French féminisme circa 1837, ultimately from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”). First recorded in English in 1851, originally meaning "the state of being feminine." Sense of "advocacy of women's rights" is from 1895.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026