TERF
2 synonyms for TERF, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A person, usually described as a feminist, who holds that transgender women are not women and should be excluded from women's spaces, services and campaigns.
Synonyms
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.
gender-critical feminist
How to use TERF
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
called a TERF
TERF rhetoric
TERF island
Hostile in nearly all use; treated as a slur by those it describes. Neutral alternatives are 'gender-critical' or a plain description of the view.
Etymology
An acronym of 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist', originating in online feminist debate in the late 2000s.
Full origin of TERF →Frequently asked questions
Is TERF a slur?
That is genuinely disputed. People it is applied to overwhelmingly reject it and many describe it as a slur used to shut down debate; those who use it generally maintain it is an accurate description of a political position. Most careful writing avoids the term and describes the specific view instead.
What is the difference between TERF and gender-critical?
They label broadly the same position from opposite sides. 'Gender-critical' is the self-description used by people who hold that biological sex, not gender identity, should determine access to women's spaces; 'TERF' is the label applied to them by critics.
Is every TERF a radical feminist?
No, despite the acronym. In practice the word is applied to anyone taking a trans-exclusionary line, including conservatives and people with no connection to radical feminist theory, which is one reason the term is criticised as imprecise.
