Definition

Noun: 1. The state or condition of being a woman, especially an adult woman: This refers to the period of life when a female is an adult, encompassing maturity and the social role associated with being a woman. 2. Women collectively; womankind: This refers to women as a group or class, representing the entirety of female humanity. 3. The qualities considered characteristic of women; womanly qualities: This refers to the traditional or essential attributes, nature, or essence associated with being a woman.

Usage Examples

• Referring to the state of being an adult woman:
  • She felt she truly entered womanhood after the birth of her first child.
  • The ceremony marked her passage from girlhood to womanhood.
• Referring to women as a collective group:
  • The law was seen as an affront to womanhood.
  • He spoke in praise of American womanhood.
• Referring to characteristic qualities:
  • Her strength and compassion were the very essence of womanhood.

Advanced Usage

• "To reach/attain womanhood": to become an adult woman.
  • In many cultures, a ceremony celebrates a girl reaching womanhood.
• "The ideals of womanhood": the set of qualities or roles traditionally expected of women.
  • Victorian ideals of womanhood emphasized domesticity and piety.

Variants and Related Words

• Woman (n): An adult female human being.
• Womanly (adj): Having or showing qualities traditionally associated with women, such as gentleness or compassion.
  • She possessed a womanly grace.
• Womanliness (n): The quality of being womanly.
• Femininity (n): Qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women. (Note: This is a close synonym for the third definition concerning qualities.)

Synonyms

• Adulthood (female): The state of being an adult, specifically for a woman.
• Femininity: The quality of being female; womanliness.
• Womankind: Women considered collectively.

Antonyms

• Girlhood: The state or time of being a girl.
• Childhood: The state or period of being a child.
• Manhood: The state or period of being a man; men collectively.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "The flower of womanhood": A phrase used to refer to the best, most admirable, or most beautiful representatives of women.
  • They were considered the flower of the nation's womanhood.
• "To insult womanhood": To offend or show disrespect to women as a class.
  • Such remarks are an insult to womanhood.

Noun

1. the status of a woman
2. women as a class
   • it's an insult to American womanhood
   • woman is the glory of creation
   • the fair sex gathered on the veranda
3. the state of being an adult woman