female
8 synonyms and 1 antonyms for female, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A person, animal, or plant of the sex or gender that produces eggs or bears offspring.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
Etymology
From Old French femelle, from Latin femella ("young woman"), a diminutive of femina ("woman"). Its modern spelling was reshaped in English under the influence of "male," even though the two words aren't actually related.
Full origin of female →Frequently asked questions
What does “female” mean?
The word “female” means a person, animal, or plant of the sex or gender that produces eggs or bears offspring. In plain terms, describes women, female animals, or (in biology and grammar) the egg-producing/receptive side of a pair.
How do you pronounce “female”?
“Female” is pronounced FEE-mayl (/ˈfiː.meɪl/ in IPA).
How do you use “female” in a sentence?
Here is “female” used in a sentence: “The female of the species is larger than the male.”
What is the opposite of “female”?
The opposite of “female” — its antonyms — is male.
What part of speech is “female”?
Depending on how it is used, “female” can be a noun and an adjective.
Where does the word “female” come from?
The word “female” comes from Latin.
Is “female” a common word?
“Female” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
What is the difference between "female" and "woman"?
"Female" is a biological term for any person, animal, or plant of the sex that produces eggs or bears offspring, while "woman" refers specifically to an adult human. Because "female" covers all species and ages, using it as a noun for a woman can sound clinical or dismissive; outside scientific writing, "woman" is usually the better choice.
Is it correct to use "female" as a noun?
Grammatically yes — "female" works as both a noun and an adjective. The noun is standard in scientific, medical, and statistical contexts ("the study included 40 females"), but in everyday references to people, "woman" or "girl" is generally preferred.
What is the difference between "female" and "feminine"?
"Female" describes biological sex — the egg-producing or offspring-bearing sex — while "feminine" describes qualities or styles traditionally associated with women. A person can be female without being feminine, and "feminine" can describe things, such as handwriting or a style of dress, that have no biological sex.
Can "female" describe plants?
Yes. In botany, "female" applies to plants or flower parts of the sex that bears offspring — the ones that develop seeds or fruit. Some species, such as holly, have separate male and female plants.