hoydenism

9.9

Noisy, rough behavior in a girl or young woman who acts like a boy

noun
/ˈhɔɪdənˌɪzəm/

Offensive

: comportamiento marimacho (ofensivo, literario)

Her hoydenism was evident in her love for climbing trees.

Examples

The spirited hoydenism of the heroine contrasted with the reserved manners of her peers.
Victorian novels sometimes criticized young women's hoydenism as a threat to proper decorum.
Her hoydenism often got her into trouble at the strict finishing school.
Many people admire the hoydenism of young girls who play sports.
Her hoydenism was apparent when she climbed trees and ran around with the boys.
The energetic hoydenism of the young girls made the playground lively and fun.
Parents often worried about their daughters' hoydenism at the prim school for young ladies.

Synonyms

tomboyishness

vshoydenism

1 7.5

A girl or young woman who acts like a boy and likes rough play and sports

emphasizes noisy rough conduct and rejection of traditional femininity

Antonyms

femininity

25 3.4

A set of qualities often seen in women, like gentleness and grace

gracefulness

1 3.2

A smooth, attractive way of moving like a dancer or swan

How Boisterous

rowdiness

1 4.5

hoydenism

Offensive

9.9

tomboyishness

1 7.5

liveliness

3 3.4

playfulness

7 2.5

calmness

11 2.7

Surface Forms

hoydenism singular

hoydenisms plural

Morphology

hoydenism = hoyden (opaque) = hoyden + ism

The word 'hoydenism' is derived from 'hoyden', which is not a commonly known word, making the overall meaning opaque to learners.

Etymology

Hoydenism comes from the older word hoyden, meaning 'a boisterous or rough girl', plus the ending -ism meaning 'a habit or state'. So hoydenism names the habit of behaving like a lively 'tomboy', which is why it describes rough or not-very-ladylike behavior.