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noun A2 Elementary Very common

female

FEE-mayl
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Female (noun) means a person, animal, or plant of the sex or gender that produces eggs or bears offspring. Example: “The zoo welcomed a new female, and the keepers hope she will settle in quickly.”

noun
1
A person, animal, or plant of the sex or gender that produces eggs or bears offspring.
"The zoo welcomed a new female, and the keepers hope she will settle in quickly."
"Each female lays several eggs in a nest near the water."
"The female of the species is larger than the male."
"Accumulated data indicate that in all species of sharks, the females grow larger than the males." — Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks (1983)
adj
1
Relating to or being female.
"The team has three female players and four male players."
"A female doctor was available for the appointment."
"The clinic offers female health screenings on Tuesdays."

How to use female

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDescribes women, female animals, or (in biology and grammar) the egg-producing/receptive side of a pair.

When to use it

In everyday speech about people, "woman/women" or "girl" usually sounds more natural than "female" as a noun, which can read as clinical or blunt.

Easily confused with
feminine →
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Word forms

Plural
females
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The zoo welcomed a new _____, and the keepers hope she will settle in quickly.

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.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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woman girl lady feminine womanly distaff menstruator vagina-owner vagina owner

Antonyms

androgynous male

Related words

man girl woman miss wife boy daughter lady

Rhymes for female

ale male sale pale gale tale kale vale dale Yale bale hale
See all rhymes for 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.

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