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Webster 1913 Edition
Womanish
Wom′an-ish
,Adj.
Suitable to a woman, having the qualities of a woman; effeminate; not becoming a man; – usually in a reproachful sense. See the Note under
“ Thy tears are womanish.” Effeminate
. Shak.
“ Womanish entreaties.” Macaulay.
A voice not soft, weak, piping, and
– womanish
, but audible, strong, and manlike. Ascham.
Wom′an-ish-ly
, adv.
Wom′an-ish-ness
, Noun.
Webster 1828 Edition
Womanish
WOMANISH
,Adj.
Definition 2024
womanish
womanish
English
Adjective
womanish (comparative more womanish, superlative most womanish)
- (often pejorative) Characteristic of a woman; feminine; effeminate. [from 14th c.]
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.20:
- Friends are a comfort in misfortune, but one should not make them unhappy by seeking their sympathy, as is done by women and womanish men.
- 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 753:
- Perhaps he did too, for he turned scarlet and turned his face away to the wall, with a womanish gesture of shyness.
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.20:
- Carried out by or pertaining to a woman. [from 14th c.]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.7:
- And gan recomfort her in her rude wyse, / With womanish compassion of her plaint, / Wiping the teares from her suffused eyes [...].
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.7:
Related terms
Translations
characteristic of a woman