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womanish

womanish

1 9.1
Having soft or emotional traits seen as feminine and used to criticize men
  • adjective
  • /ˈwʊmənɪʃ/
  • Slur
translation icon : afeminado
  • His features were fine and delicate, almost womanish.

Examples

  • His pathetic, womanish comfort.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • She's very girlish or womanish, if you know what I mean.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • His voice was theatrical and womanish.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • But how could he expect Schwartz, a womanish city boy, to understand this?

    Fiction book (1999)
  • There's nothing womanish about Annabelle.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • It did violence to his nature even to allow himself such thoughts: weak, womanish, unworthy.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Her laughter is being attributed to mere womanish hysteria, and her dancing down the street singing is being called an attempt to deal with overwhelming grief.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "Race you to that bench!" And she was off, surprisingly speedy in spite of a womanish rocking-horse gait that would have made a pony blush.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • She must have been one of those fresh girls—womanish girls—as Momma called them, who made trouble in high school and went on dates with boys that weren't even in high school.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • His delicate features and soft mannerisms were often described as womanish by his peers.

Synonyms

feminine
vswomanish
173 3.4

Having style or qualities people often connect with women

is frequently used to criticize men for those traits
womanly
vswomanish
12 3.4

Being gentle, kind, or strong in ways often seen in women

is often used negatively about men rather than positively
femme
vswomanish
  • Jargon
1 8.4

Having the appearance or style people associate with women

is a general descriptor of feminine traits, not identity specific
womanlike
vswomanish
6.7

Having the looks or shape of a woman

is used disapprovingly when applied to men
superfeminine
vswomanish
7.6

A very traditional women's style with pink clothes and lots of makeup

is milder in femininity rather than extreme

Antonyms

85 3.7

Having qualities people often connect with men, for example strength and toughness

79 3.0

Showing strength, courage, or a strong will often seen as men's qualities

Compounds

People call actions seen as typical of women weak or too emotional

How Feminine

feminine
173 3.4
ladylike
15 5.0
womanly
12 3.4
womanish
  • Slur
1 9.1
girlish
21 3.5
effeminate
  • Offensive
15 7.5

Surface Forms

womanish positive
womanisher comparative
womanishest superlative

Morphology

womanish = woman (transparent) = woman + ish

Formed by the productive suffix '-ish' added to 'woman', yielding the predictable meaning 'like a woman'.

Etymology

Womanish comes from woman ('woman') plus the ending -ish ('like'), so it simply means 'like a woman'. Because of that origin, it is often used in a negative way to describe a man who shows feelings or actions people think belong to women.