female
[adjective]
Synonyms: feminine, muliebral, womanish, womanlike, womanly

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English Thesaurus: female, feminine, womanly, girly/girlie, effeminate, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. fe‧male¹ S3 W2 /ˈfiːmeɪl/ adjective

1. relating to women or girls Antonym : male ⇒ feminine:
female voters
Over half of the staff are female.

2. belonging to the sex that can have babies or produce eggs Antonym : male:
a female spider

3. a female plant or flower produces fruit Antonym : male

4. technical a female part of a piece of equipment has holes into which the male part can be fitted Antonym : male

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. female² W3 noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: femelle (influenced by male), from Latin femella 'girl']

1. an animal that belongs to the sex that can have babies or produce eggs Antonym : male

2. a woman or girl Antonym : male:
As a group, females performed better on the test than males.

3. a plant that produces flowers or fruit Antonym : male

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

female
noun
BAD: Most females want to continue their careers after marriage.
GOOD: Most women want to continue their careers after marriage.
BAD: In 1992 she won the female marathon in Athens.
GOOD: In 1992 she won the women's marathon in Athens.

Usage Note:
Female is used mainly in scientific or technical styles: 'The male birds are usually more colourful than the females.' 'The female butterfly does not require additional salts.'
Female is sometimes used to refer to a woman or girl, but many people find this use of the word offensive.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

female relating to women or girls:
female voters
Advertisers try to sell things by using images of the female body.
feminine used about qualities that are considered to be typical of women:
You must not cry or show any other feminine weakness.
the ideal of feminine beauty
womanly behaving, dressing etc in a way that is thought to be typical of or suitable for a woman – used to show approval:
her womanly figure
the womanly virtues of compassion and patience
girly/girlie informal behaving or dressing in a way that is thought to be typical of young girls, or suitable for a girl – often used disapprovingly:
Stop being so girly! It's only a mouse!
a very girlie pink dress
effeminate disapproving a man who is effeminate looks or behaves like a woman:
His long blonde hair made him look rather effeminate.
a pale effeminate-looking young man

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

woman a female adult person:
a young woman with dark brown hair
lady a polite word for a woman – used especially when you do not know the woman, or when the person you are talking to does not know the woman:
A glass of white wine please, for this lady here.
The young lady stood up and shook my hand.
girl a young female person – usually used about someone younger than about twenty:
a very pretty girl
teenage girls
female formal a woman – used especially when you are giving information about women, for example in formal surveys and reports:
Females account for 46% of Internet users.
feminine used about qualities that are considered to be typical of women:
You must not cry or show any other feminine weakness.
the ideal of feminine beauty
womanly behaving, dressing etc in a way that is thought to be typical of or suitable for a woman – used to show approval:
her womanly figure
the womanly virtues of compassion and patience
girly/girlie informal behaving or dressing in a way that is thought to be typical of young girls, or suitable for a girl – often used disapprovingly:
Stop being so girly! It's only a mouse!
a very girlie pink dress
effeminate disapproving a man who is effeminate looks or behaves like a woman:
His long blonde hair made him look rather effeminate.
a pale effeminate-looking young man

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲