androgen

noun

an·​dro·​gen ˈan-drə-jən 

: a male sex hormone (such as testosterone)

androgenic

ˌan-drə-ˈje-nik 

adjective

Examples of androgen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Association between androgen receptor gene and behavioral traits in cats (Felis catus). —Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025

Related Story Why Itchy Ears May Become Common for Women in Midlife What Is GSM? GSM refers to the range of symptoms and physical changes that happen to the genitourinary tract as a result of low estrogen and androgen concentrations in the body during perimenopause and after menopause. —Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 1 May 2025

Those options typically target just one aspect of PCOS, such as reducing androgen levels with certain types of birth control. —Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 20 July 2025

Summary Prostate cancer cells require androgens, namely testosterone, to stimulate their growth. —Matthew Wosnitzer, Verywell Health, 12 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

andro- + -gen, after estrogen

Note: The term was apparently introduced in a short article "The Nomenclature of 'Male Hormones'" by the American Medical Society's Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry, published in the Journal of the American Medical Society, vol. 107, no. 3 (July 18, 1936), p. 212.

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing androgen

• androgen deprivation therapy
• androgen insensitivity syndrome
• anti-androgen

Kids Definition

androgen

noun

an·​dro·​gen ˈan-drə-jən 

: a male sex hormone (as testosterone)

Medical Definition

androgen

noun

an·​dro·​gen ˈan-drə-jən 

: a male sex hormone (as testosterone)

androgenic

ˌan-drə-ˈjen-ik 

adjective