Standard Lemma guide

womanhood

noun · 8 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.

  • /ˈwʊmənhʊd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W UH1 M AH0 N HH UH2 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state or condition of being a woman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • She was a vigorous youth poised on the brink of womanhood.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: adulthood

2

noun

Meaning 2

All of the women of a given place, area, or subgroup regarded collectively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: womankind[universal]] or worldwide>

Antonyms: manhood, mankind

3

noun

Meaning 3

The idealized nature of a woman: all of the characteristics traditionally and ideally ascribed to womanliness regarded collectively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: womanishness, womanliness

Antonyms: manhood, mannishness, manliness

4

noun

Meaning 4

The self-concept of a woman with respect to her possession of the various qualities traditionally and ideally ascribed to womanliness; a woman's sense or view of herself as being more or less womanly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: manhood

5

noun

Meaning 5

The female genitalia, especially the vulva.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, euphemistic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: manhood

Broader terms: junk

6

noun

Meaning 6

the status of a woman

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: position, post, berth, office, spot, billet, place, situation

7

noun

Meaning 7

women as a class

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it's an insult to American womanhood
  • woman is the glory of creation
  • the fair sex gathered on the veranda

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: woman, fair sex

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: class, stratum, social class, socio-economic class

8

noun

Meaning 8

the state of being an adult woman

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: muliebrity

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: adulthood

History

Etymology

From Middle English womanhoode, wommanhod, whomanhode, variants of wommanhede. By surface analysis, woman + -hood.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: naiseus — state of being a woman
  • French: féminité — state of being a woman
  • Georgian: ქალობა (kaloba) — state of being a woman
  • German: Weiblichkeit — state of being a woman
  • German: Fraulichkeit — state of being a woman
  • German: Frausein — state of being a woman
  • Hindi: स्त्रीता (strītā) — state of being a woman
  • Hindi: नारीत्व (nārītva) — state of being a woman
  • Hindi: स्त्रीत्व (strītva) — state of being a woman
  • Latin: muliebris status — state of being a woman
  • Māori: wahinetanga — state of being a woman
  • Marathi: बाईपण (bāīpaṇ) — state of being a woman
  • Russian: же́нственность (žénstvennostʹ) — state of being a woman
  • Swedish: kvinnlighet — state of being a woman
  • Telugu: స్త్రీత్వము (strītvamu) — state of being a woman
  • Turkish: kadınlık — state of being a woman
  • Bulgarian: же́нственост (žénstvenost) — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Finnish: naisellisuus — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • French: féminité — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Georgian: ქალურობა (kaluroba) — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • German: Fraulichkeit — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Latin: muliēbritās — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Latvian: sievišķība — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Marathi: स्त्रीत्व (strītva) — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Russian: же́нственность (žénstvennostʹ) — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Spanish: feminidad — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Swedish: kvinnlighet — qualities considered typical for a woman
  • Bulgarian: жените (ženite) — women as a group
  • Finnish: naiset — women as a group
  • Finnish: naisväki — women as a group
  • Georgian: ქალები (kalebi) — women as a group
  • Georgian: მდედრობითი სქესი (mdedrobiti skesi) — women as a group
  • Georgian: სუსტი სქესი (susṭi skesi) — women as a group
  • German: alle Frauen — women as a group
  • German: Frauen — women as a group
  • Māori: hunga wāhine — women as a group
  • Russian: же́нский пол (žénskij pol) — women as a group
  • Russian: же́нщины (žénščiny) — women as a group
  • Ukrainian: жіно́цтво (žinóctvo) — women as a group