Definition

1. Noun:
   • A female fox: A vixen is an adult female of the species Vulpes vulpes or other fox species.
   • A spiteful, quarrelsome, or ill-tempered woman: This figurative meaning describes a woman perceived as sharp-tongued, malicious, or fierce-tempered.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (literal):

  • The vixen returned to her den with food for her kits.
  • We spotted a red fox, likely a vixen, crossing the field at dusk.

• Noun (figurative):

  • In the argument, she was called a vixen for her sharp remarks.
  • The character in the novel is portrayed as a cunning vixen who manipulates everyone around her.

Advanced Usage

• The figurative use of "vixen" is often considered dated and can be pejorative or sexist, as it applies a negative animal stereotype specifically to women.
• In older literature and drama, "vixen" was a common trope for a shrewish or tempestuous female character.

Variants and Related Words

• Vixenish (adjective): Having the qualities of a vixen; sharp-tempered or quarrelsome.
  • He was taken aback by her vixenish retort.
• Vixenly (adverb): In the manner of a vixen (rarely used).

Synonyms

• For "female fox": None; this is the specific zoological term.
• For "spiteful woman": Shrew, termagant, harridan, harpy, spitfire. (Note: Many of these synonyms are also dated and carry negative connotations.)

Related Phrases

• While "vixen" itself is not typically used in phrasal verbs, it can appear in descriptive phrases.
  • "She has a vixen's tongue": Meaning she speaks in a sharp, malicious, or hurtful way.

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms centered solely on the word "vixen." Its use is typically direct, either literal or figurative.

Noun

1. a female fox
2. a malicious woman with a fierce temper