A misogynist hates or despises women. A chauvinist believes their own group is superior — the word originally meant an aggressive patriot and only acquired its gender sense through the phrase male chauvinist. Chauvinism is about assumed superiority; misogyny is about contempt.
The core difference
- misogynist — one who hates, distrusts or holds women in contempt. The word is only ever about women.
- chauvinist — one who believes their own group is superior. Requires a group to be named: male chauvinist, national chauvinist.
Chauvinism needs a modifier
This is the practical point. Chauvinist on its own is incomplete, because the original sense was excessive patriotism, and the group can be a nation, a region, a language or a sex. The gender meaning comes entirely from the fixed phrase male chauvinist, popularised in the 1960s and 1970s, which was then shortened until the modifier dropped away.
Nicolas Chauvin, who may not have existed
The word comes from Nicolas Chauvin, a supposed soldier of Napoleon's army whose devotion to the Emperor persisted absurdly after defeat. He appears in nineteenth-century French plays and vaudeville as a stock figure — and there is no reliable evidence he was a real person. The word may derive from a fictional character taken as historical.
Misogyny is Greek and blunt
Misogyny is misein (to hate) plus gyne (woman). The related terms are built the same way:
- Misandry — hatred of men, from andros.
- Misanthropy — hatred of humanity generally.
- Philogyny — the rare opposite, fondness for women.
Sexism, and how it differs from both
Sexism is the broadest of the three and the most neutral in construction: discrimination or prejudice on the basis of sex, with no requirement of hatred or of felt superiority. It also covers structural and unintentional cases, which is why it is the term generally used in policy and law where the others would be too strong or too specific.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a chauvinist and a misogynist?
A misogynist hates or despises women. A chauvinist believes their own group is superior — which requires naming the group, as in male chauvinist.
Does chauvinist always mean sexist?
No. The original and still valid sense is aggressive patriotism or belief in the superiority of any group. The gender sense comes from the phrase male chauvinist.
Was Nicolas Chauvin a real person?
Probably not. He appears as a stock figure in nineteenth-century French plays, and there is no reliable evidence he existed.