English Reference

Word

misogyny

Phoneticsmisog·y·ny

US/ˈmɪzədʒɪni/

UK/mɪsˈɒdʒɪni/

Definition

n. hatred of, or strong prejudice against, women. It describes a deep dislike or a belief that women are less important than men.

n. hatred, contempt, or ingrained prejudice against women. Often manifests as social exclusion, discrimination, or hostility toward female autonomy.

Examples

“The article discusses how misogyny affects women in the workplace.”

“The politician's speech was widely condemned for its blatant misogyny and outdated views on gender roles.”

“Scholars argue that systemic misogyny is often reinforced by cultural narratives that reward male dominance while punishing women who challenge traditional social hierarchies.”

Examples

simple

“The article discusses how misogyny affects women in the workplace.”

contextual

“The politician's speech was widely condemned for its blatant misogyny and outdated views on gender roles.”

complex

“Scholars argue that systemic misogyny is often reinforced by cultural narratives that reward male dominance while punishing women who challenge traditional social hierarchies.”

Usage

Uncountable in its abstract sense; often paired with the preposition 'towards' or 'against'.

Real-World Examples

Common in culture writing

“A quarter of the teachers called out the manosphere's influence as a problem in their classrooms, with 28% saying misogyny was actively affecting their students' well-being.”
Phys.org · 17 Aug 2026
“And sexism, if not outright misogyny, is in the air everyone breathes.”
The Guardian · 13 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μισογυνία (misogunía) and μισογύνης (misogúnēs, “woman hater”), from μισέω (miséō, “I hate”) + γυνή (gunḗ, “woman”). By surface analysis, miso- + -gyny.

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

Word family

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference