feminism

[fem-uh-niz-uhm]

noun

1. the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter),  an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women.

3. Older Use.,  feminine character.

feminism

/ ˈfɛmɪˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a doctrine or movement that advocates equal rights for women

feminism

¹

1. The doctrine — and the political movement based on it — that women should have the same economic, social, and political rights as men. (See under “Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology.”)

feminism

²

1. A movement for granting women political, social, and economic equality with men. (See women's movement.)

Other Word Forms

• feminist noun
• antifeminism noun
• profeminism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of feminism¹

First recorded in 1840–45; from Latin fēmina “woman” + -ism ( def. ); 1890–95 for sense of “women's movement” (from feminist ( def. ), adjective); feminine ( def. )

Example Sentences

The Jets and Sharks seemed pretty pointless after a presidential assassination, a war, Black Power and nascent feminism.

From Salon

The band played gigs for Rock Against Sexism, but disagreed on their personal definitions of feminism, or what makes music political.

From Salon

It was a grievous historical error to assume that the gains made through passionate and painful struggle by racial justice movements, feminism, LGBTQ+ Pride and so on were natural, inevitable and irreversible.

From Salon

That would be the case regardless of whether Gaiman’s predatory false feminism had been exposed.

From Salon

In those, Bartkus voiced despondence over the death of a “best friend,” Sophie, who lived in Washington and ran multiple social media sites espousing radical feminism, veganism and suicide.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• feminist movement www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does feminism mean?

Feminism is a doctrine, or principle, that states women should have rights equal to those of men, especially social and political rights.Because feminism is a doctrine, there are many different thoughts about what feminism actually means and how best to achieve the desired equality. There is no unified group of feminists with a single philosophy, but all feminists agree that women are somehow not treated equally to men and that they should be.In the United States, from around 1848 through to 1920, feminism was generally concerned with women’s right to vote (known as women’s suffrage), notably starting at the Seneca Falls Convention.From around 1960, feminism began to be concerned with women’s civil rights and questioned what women’s role in society should be. Scholars are divided on whether the second wave actually ended and, if so, when.Starting in the 1990s, feminism started emphasizing electing women to political offices and majorly fighting against sexual harassment in the workplace. Many feminists at the time also questioned the notion of gender and the stereotypes of male and female societal roles and behavior.Some scholars suggest in the early 2010s, feminists began to focus on furthering better treatment of women. This can be seen by the rapid spread of the Me Too movement.