noun
Meaning 1
A female who performs on the stage or in films.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
actress
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈæk.tɹɪs/
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[ˈæk.tɹ̝̊ɪs]
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[ˈæk.t̠ɹ̠̊˔ɪs]
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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/ˈæk.tɹəs/
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[ˈæk.tɹ̝̊əs]
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[ˈæk.t̠ɹ̠̊˔əs]
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rhymes with -æktɹɪs
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CMU ARPABET: AE1 K T R AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A female doer or "actor" (in a general sense).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
a female actor
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: actor, histrion, player, thespian, role player
Narrower terms: leading lady, starlet, tragedienne, Ball, Lucille Ball, Bankhead, Tallulah Bankhead, Barrymore, Georgiana Barrymore, Georgiana Emma Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore, Bergman, Ingrid Bergman, Bernhardt, Sarah Bernhardt, Henriette Rosine Bernard, Black, Shirley Temple Black, Shirley Temple, Cornell, Katherine Cornell, Crawford, Joan Crawford, Davis, Bette Davis, Dietrich, Marlene Dietrich, Maria Magdalene von Losch, Duse, Eleonora Duse, Fonda, Jane Fonda, Fontanne, Lynn Fontanne, Garbo, Greta Garbo, Greta Louisa Gustafsson, Garland, Judy Garland, Gish, Lillian Gish, Harlow, Jean Harlow, Harlean Carpenter, Hayes, Helen Hayes, Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton Hepburn, Horne, Lena Horne, Lena Calhoun Horne, Jackson, Glenda Jackson, Kelly, Grace Kelly, Grace Patricia Kelly, Princess Grace of Monaco, Langtry, Lillie Langtry, Jersey Lillie, Emilie Charlotte le Breton, Lawrence, Gertrude Lawrence, Le Gallienne, Eva Le Gallienne, Leigh, Vivien Leigh, Lillie, Beatrice Lillie, Lady Peel, Loren, Sophia Loren, Sofia Scicolone, Martin, Mary Martin, Mercouri, Melina Mercouri, Anna Amalia Mercouri, Monroe, Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jean Baker, Nazimova, Alla Nazimova, Pickford, Mary Pickford, Gladys Smith, Rogers, Ginger Rogers, Virginia McMath, Virginia Katherine McMath, Shearer, Moira Shearer, Siddons, Sarah Siddons, Sarah Kemble Siddons, Skinner, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Streep, Meryl Streep, Streisand, Barbra Streisand, Barbra Joan Streisand, Swanson, Gloria Swanson, Gloria May Josephine Svensson, Tandy, Jessica Tandy, Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Terry, Dame Ellen Terry, Dame Alice Ellen Terry, Thorndike, Dame Sybil Thorndike, Waters, Ethel Waters, West, Mae West, Wood, Natalie Wood, Young, Loretta Young
History
Etymology
From actor + -ess. Probably formed independently of Middle French actrice.
Across languages
Translations
97 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: aktrise — female actor — see also actor
- Albanian: vepruese — female actor — see also actor
- Albanian: aktore — female actor — see also actor
- Amharic: ተዋናይት (täwanayt) — female actor — see also actor
- Arabic: مُمَثِّلَة (mumaṯṯila) — female actor — see also actor
- Arabic: ممثلة (mumassila) — female actor — see also actor
- Armenian: դերասանուհի (derasanuhi) — female actor — see also actor
- Asturian: actriz — female actor — see also actor
- Azerbaijani: aktrisa — female actor — see also actor
- Bashkir: актриса (aktrisa) — female actor — see also actor
- Belarusian: актры́са (aktrýsa) — female actor — see also actor
- Bengali: অভিনেত্রী (obhinetri) — female actor — see also actor
- Bulgarian: актри́са (aktrísa) — female actor — see also actor
- Bulgarian: арти́стка (artístka) — female actor — see also actor
- Catalan: actriu — female actor — see also actor
- Chinese Mandarin: 女演員 /女演员 (nǚyǎnyuán) — female actor — see also actor
- Chinese Mandarin: 女優 /女优 (nǚyōu) — female actor — see also actor
- Chinese Mandarin: 伶 (líng) — female actor — see also actor
- Czech: herečka — female actor — see also actor
- Danish: skuespillerinde — female actor — see also actor
- Dutch: actrice — female actor — see also actor
- Esperanto: aktorino — female actor — see also actor
- Estonian: näitlejatar — female actor — see also actor
- Estonian: näitlejanna — female actor — see also actor
- Finnish: näyttelijätär — female actor — see also actor
- Finnish: lapsinäyttelijä — female actor — see also actor
- French: actrice — female actor — see also actor
- Galician: actriz — female actor — see also actor
- Georgian: მსახიობი ქალი (msaxiobi kali) — female actor — see also actor
- Georgian: მსახიობი (msaxiobi) — female actor — see also actor
- German: Schauspielerin — female actor — see also actor
- Greek: ηθοποιός (ithopoiós) — female actor — see also actor
- Hebrew: שַׂחְקָנִית (sakhkanít) — female actor — see also actor
- Hindi: अभिनेत्री (abhinetrī) — female actor — see also actor
- Hungarian: színésznő — female actor — see also actor
- Icelandic: leikkona — female actor — see also actor
- Ido: aktorino — female actor — see also actor
- Indonesian: aktris — female actor — see also actor
- Irish: ban-aisteoir — female actor — see also actor
- Irish: aisteoir mná — female actor — see also actor
- Italian: attrice — female actor — see also actor
- Japanese: 女優 (joyū) — female actor — see also actor
- Kashubian: teatrownica — female actor — see also actor
- Kazakh: актриса (aktrisa) — female actor — see also actor
- Korean: 여배우 (yeobae'u) — female actor — see also actor
- Korean: 여우 (yeou) — female actor — see also actor
- Kyrgyz: актриса (aktrisa) — female actor — see also actor
- Lao: ນາງລະຄອນ (nāng la khǭn) — female actor — see also actor
- Latin: āctrīx — female actor — see also actor
- Latvian: aktrise — female actor — see also actor
- Lithuanian: aktorė — female actor — see also actor
- Macedonian: актерка (akterka) — female actor — see also actor
- Macedonian: артистка (artistka) — female actor — see also actor
- Malay: pelakon — female actor — see also actor
- Malay: pelakon wanita — female actor — see also actor
- Maltese: attriċi — female actor — see also actor
- Māori: kaitapere — female actor — see also actor
- Marathi: अभीनेत्री (abhīnetrī) — female actor — see also actor
- Norman: actrice — female actor — see also actor
- Norwegian Bokmål: skuespillerinne — female actor — see also actor
- Norwegian Nynorsk: skodespelarinne — female actor — see also actor
- Occitan: actritz — female actor — see also actor
- Odia: ଅଭିନେତ୍ରୀ (abhinetri) — female actor — see also actor
- Old English: sċeriċġe — female actor — see also actor
- Persian: آکتریس (âktris) — female actor — see also actor
- Polish: aktorka — female actor — see also actor
- Portuguese: atriz — female actor — see also actor
- Romanian: actriță — female actor — see also actor
- Russian: актри́са (aktrísa) — female actor — see also actor
- Russian: арти́стка (artístka) — female actor — see also actor
- Samogitian: aktuorė — female actor — see also actor
- Scottish Gaelic: ban-chleasaiche — female actor — see also actor
- Scottish Gaelic: ban-chluicheadair — female actor — see also actor
- Scottish Gaelic: ban-actair — female actor — see also actor
- Serbo-Croatian: глу̀мица — female actor — see also actor
- Serbo-Croatian: glùmica — female actor — see also actor
- Sinhalese: නිළිය (niḷiya) — female actor — see also actor
- Sinhalese: රංගන ශිල්පිනිය (raṁgana śilpiniya) — female actor — see also actor
- Slovak: herečka — female actor — see also actor
- Slovene: igralka — female actor — see also actor
- Spanish: actriz — female actor — see also actor
- Swedish: skådespelerska — female actor — see also actor
- Swedish: aktris — female actor — see also actor
- Tajik: актриса (aktrisa) — female actor — see also actor
- Telugu: నటి (naṭi) — female actor — see also actor
- Thai: นักแสดงหญิง (nák sàdaeng yĭng) — female actor — see also actor
- Turkish: aktris — female actor — see also actor
- Turkmen: aktrisa — female actor — see also actor
- Ukrainian: акто́рка (aktórka) — female actor — see also actor
- Ukrainian: актри́са (aktrýsa) — female actor — see also actor
- Ukrainian: лицеді́йка (lycedíjka) — female actor — see also actor
- Uzbek: aktrisa — female actor — see also actor
- Vietnamese: nữ diễn viên — female actor — see also actor
- Volapük: jidramatan — female actor — see also actor
- Welsh: actores — female actor — see also actor
- Yiddish: שוישפּילערין (shoyshpilerin) — female actor — see also actor
- Yiddish: אַקטריסע (aktrise) — female actor — see also actor
Real reading context