FEMININE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does feminine mean? 

• FEMININE (noun)
  The noun FEMININE has 1 sense:

1. a gender that refers chiefly (but not exclusively) to females or to objects classified as female

  Familiarity information: FEMININE used as a noun is very rare.

• FEMININE (adjective)
  The adjective FEMININE has 4 senses:

1. associated with women and not with men

2. of grammatical gender

3. befitting or characteristic of a woman especially a mature woman

4. (music or poetry) ending on an unaccented beat or syllable

  Familiarity information: FEMININE used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FEMININE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A gender that refers chiefly (but not exclusively) to females or to objects classified as female

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("feminine" is a kind of...):

gender; grammatical gender (a grammatical category in inflected languages governing the agreement between nouns and pronouns and adjectives; in some languages it is quite arbitrary but in Indo-European languages it is usually based on sex or animateness)

Derivation:

feminine (of grammatical gender)

• FEMININE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Associated with women and not with men

Context example:

feminine intuition

Similar:

fair (attractively feminine)

distaff; female (characteristic of or peculiar to a woman)

maidenlike; maidenly (befitting or characteristic of a maiden)

powder-puff (used of competitive activities in which only women take part)

Also:

female (being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop)

feminine (of grammatical gender)

Antonym:

masculine (associated with men and not with women)

Derivation:

feminineness (the properties characteristic of the female sex)

femininity (the trait of behaving in ways considered typical for women)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of grammatical gender

Also:

feminine (associated with women and not with men)

Antonym:

masculine; neuter (of grammatical gender)

Derivation:

feminine (a gender that refers chiefly (but not exclusively) to females or to objects classified as female)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Befitting or characteristic of a woman especially a mature woman

Synonyms:

feminine; womanly

Context example:

womanly virtues of gentleness and compassion

Similar:

matronly (befitting or characteristic of a fully mature woman)

womanlike (resembling a woman)

Derivation:

feminineness (the properties characteristic of the female sex)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(music or poetry) ending on an unaccented beat or syllable

Context example:

a feminine ending

Similar:

unstressed (not bearing a stress or accent)

Domain category:

music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)

 Context examples 

Oofty-Oofty had been the only one whose lines were at all pleasing, while, in so far as they pleased, that far had they been what I should call feminine.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A question about whether an individual feels or felt less feminine as a result of their disease or treatment .

(Feel Less Feminine Due to Disease or Treatment, NCI Thesaurus)

"When, where, how?" asked Jo, in a fever of feminine interest and curiosity, for she could not realize it a particle.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

One singular point which struck her quick feminine eye was that although he wore some dark coat, such as he had started to town in, he had on neither collar nor necktie.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And, in short—what do you think of my wife's style of letter-writing? —delicate—tender—truly feminine—was it not?

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

There was a whisk of feminine skirts down the passage, and the hall door was opened and shut.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

She is perfectly feminine, except in the instances we have been speaking of.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

He was brought back to himself, however, by a sudden little ripple of quick feminine laughter.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Her feminine perception, however, had instantly seen through the disguise when, on the occasion of the interpreter’s visit, she had seen him for the first time.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was said, and we retired under the pretence of seeking repose, each fancying that the other was deceived; but when at morning’s dawn I descended to the carriage which was to convey me away, they were all there—my father again to bless me, Clerval to press my hand once more, my Elizabeth to renew her entreaties that I would write often and to bestow the last feminine attentions on her playmate and friend.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)