MTF
MTF (adjective) means Male-to-female: describing a transgender person who was assigned male at birth and identifies and lives as a woman. Example: “She started transitioning at 24 and describes herself as MTF.”
How to Use MTF
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA woman who was recorded as male when she was born.
Common in older clinical literature and on forums. Many trans people now prefer 'trans woman' or 'transfeminine', since MTF frames a woman by the sex she was assigned rather than the one she is. Use the term a person uses about themselves.
Read the letters in order: the first letter is the sex assigned at birth, the second is the person's gender. MTF is a woman; FTM is a man.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She started transitioning at 24 and describes herself as _____.
Etymology
An initialism of male-to-female.
Synonyms
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Related Words
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between MTF and FTM?
MTF stands for male-to-female and describes a trans woman — someone assigned male at birth who lives as a woman. FTM stands for female-to-male and describes a trans man, assigned female at birth and living as a man.
Is MTF still the preferred term?
It is understood everywhere but is increasingly seen as dated, because it defines someone by a starting point rather than by who they are. 'Trans woman' or 'transfeminine' is the safer choice unless the person uses MTF themselves.
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