Standard Lemma guide

sexism

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

  • /ˈsɛksɪzm̩/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S EH1 K S IH0 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The belief that people of one sex (or gender) are inherently different from those of another sex, and generally that one sex is superior to others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The notion that either gender is superior is sexism.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Discrimination against, or different treatment of, people on the basis of sex or gender, including the expectation that people should adhere to stereotypical social roles (gender roles) based on sex; (in particular, especially) discrimination against women.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The fact that there is only one woman in a management position in that company makes it easy to believe that sexism runs rampant there.
  • The sexism of making and promoting violent films for men and romantic comedies for women.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of the opposite sex

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discrimination, favoritism, favouritism

Narrower terms: male chauvinism, chauvinism, antifeminism, sexual discrimination

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English sex Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English sexism From sex + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

51 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: seksisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Albanian: seksizëm — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Armenian: սեռական խտրականություն (seṙakan xtrakanutʻyun) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Armenian: սեքսիզմ (sekʻsizm) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Belarusian: сэксі́зм (seksízm) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Bulgarian: секси́зъм (seksízǎm) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Catalan: sexisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Chinese Mandarin: 性別歧視 /性别歧视 (xìngbié qíshì) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Czech: sexismus — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Czech: sexizmus — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Danish: sexisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Dutch: seksisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Esperanto: seksismo — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Estonian: seksism — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Finnish: seksismi — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • French: sexisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • West-Frisian: seksisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Galician: sexismo — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Georgian: სექსიზმი (seksizmi) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • German: Sexismus — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Greek: σεξισμός (sexismós) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Hebrew: אַפְלָיָה מִינִית (aflayá minít) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Hebrew: מִינָנוּת (minanút) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Hebrew: סֶקְסִיזְם (seksízm) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Hindi: लिंगवाद (liṅgvād) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Hungarian: szexizmus — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Icelandic: kynjamismunun — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Ido: sexuismo — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Irish: gnéasachas — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Irish: gnéasaíochas — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Italian: sessismo — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Japanese: 性差別 (seisabetsu) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Korean: 성차별 (seongchabyeol) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Latin: sexismus — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Macedonian: секси́зам (seksízam) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Norman: sexisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sexisme — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Persian: جنسیتگرایی (jensit-garâyi) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Polish: seksizm — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Portuguese: sexismo — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Romanian: sexism — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Russian: секси́зм (sɛksízm) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Serbo-Croatian: сексизам — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Serbo-Croatian: seksizam — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Slovak: sexizmus — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Slovene: seksizem — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Spanish: sexismo — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Swedish: sexism — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Thai: ลัทธิกีดกันทางเพศ (lát-tí gèet-gan-taang-pâyt) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Ukrainian: секси́зм (seksýzm) — discrimination based on sex or gender
  • Vietnamese: phân biệt giới tính — discrimination based on sex or gender