androgynous

/æn'drɔdʤinəs/

Thân thiện

A fashion model with an androgynous look walks down the runway.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having both male and female characteristics: Used to describe a person, appearance, or style that combines or blurs traditional distinctions between masculine and feminine traits.
   • Biology: Having both male and female reproductive organs: Used in botany and zoology to describe an organism that possesses both male and female sex characteristics.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a person or appearance:
  • The fashion model has an androgynous look, with short hair and sharp features that are not distinctly male or female.
  • Their style is deliberately androgynous, mixing tailored suits with delicate jewelry.
• Biology:
  • Some plants, like the corn plant, are androgynous, bearing both staminate and pistillate flowers.
  • The biologist studied an androgynous species of fish.

Advanced Usage

• Cultural and Social Context: The term is often used in discussions about gender identity, fashion, and art to describe a presentation that transcends the gender binary.
  • The artist's work explores androgynous figures, challenging viewers' perceptions of gender.
• Psychology: In some psychological theories, an "androgynous" personality is one that balances traditionally masculine and feminine traits.
  • She scored high on androgyny in the personality test, showing both assertiveness and compassion.

Variants and Related Words

• Androgyny (noun): The quality or state of being androgynous.
  • The androgyny of his appearance made him a unique figure in pop culture.
• Androgyne (noun): A person who is androgynous.
  • They identify as an androgyne.

Synonyms

• Unisex: Designed for or suitable to both sexes (often used for styles or products).
• Epicene: Having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex (can be literary or dated).
• Intersex: Relating to a person born with a combination of male and female biological traits (a more specific medical/biological term).

Antonyms

• Gendered: Characterized by or emphasizing distinct male or female attributes.
• Dimorphic: Occurring in two distinct forms, typically referring to sexes (biology).

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Gender-fluid: Denoting or relating to a person who does not identify with a single fixed gender.
• Non-binary: Denoting or relating to a gender identity that does not fit into the male/female binary. (Note: While related, "androgynous" often describes presentation, while "non-binary" is an identity.)

Học thuật

Adjective

1. having both male and female characteristics
2. relating to or exhibiting both female and male sex organs but with a predominantly female appearance