Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of, characteristic of, or suitable to a woman, especially when considered inferior to a man.
- adjective Imitative or suggestive of a woman rather than a man.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable for women; feminine; effeminate: often used in a disparaging or reproachful sense when said of men: as, womanish ways; a womanish, voice; womanish fears.
- Synonyms Female, Effeminate, etc. See
feminine .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Suitable to a woman, having the qualities of a woman; effeminate; not becoming a man; -- usually in a reproachful sense. See the Note under
effeminate .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective having characteristics associated with women and considered undesirable in men
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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But it gets better: “His movements have been described as womanish — a dainty ladylike way of walking when not assuming a military carriage in public, effeminate gestures of his arms — a peculiar graceless ineptitude reminiscent of of a girl throwing a baseball.”
The Telltale Sign of a Despotic Maniac? Apparently, Femininity. : Edward Champion’s Reluctant Habits 2005
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"Well, there is something effeminate a about that, something womanish, that is just what I would expect," the German said to the Montreal lawyer.
The Prose and Poetry, Reality and Spirit of Canadian Imperial Service 1915
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She seldom schemed, but when she did scheme, her plans showed rather the comprehensive strategy of a general than the small arts called womanish, though she could utter oracles of Delphian ambiguity when she did not choose to be direct.
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And to aggravate this judgment, to put an edge upon this misery, it is added in the next words, that women shall come and set them on fire: that is, a womanish and effeminate generation of men (for such were the Babylonians) shall triumph over them.
Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions. Vol. V. 1634-1716 1823
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We believe that no act so thoroughly womanish, that is, moving under a blind impulse without a thought of consequences, without a concerted succession of steps, and no
The Posthumous Works of Thomas De Quincey, Vol. 2 Thomas De Quincey 1822
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In other words, the men who rule are being called womanish, or childish.
Family Reformation 2008
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here is a direct quote from the text his movements have been described as womanish - a dainty ladylike way of walking when not assuming a military carraige in public, EFFEMINATE gesture of his arms — a peculiar gracelessness ineptitude reminiscent of a girl throwing a baseball a long time ago i said the parallels were striking, and there were so many.
Obama is a girly man 2010
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Cassius gripes that Rome has become "womanish" and mocks Caesar for resembling "a sick girl."
Theater review: Taffety Punk's all-female 'Julius Caesar' Celia Wren 2010
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The epithet "womanish" could not therefore have had among the Egyptians of his day a derogatory Men's-State signification.
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In exceptional cases a reviewer perhaps exclaims upon certain faults as "womanish"; but the cry is too hasty; the faults are those of individuals, in either sex.
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