womanliness

noun

wom·​an·​li·​ness ˈwu̇-mən-lē-nəs 

: the quality or state of being womanly (as in having qualities such as beauty or gentleness that are traditionally associated with a woman)

After decades of defining ideal womanliness based on humility and positivity, it's no wonder we're thrown off by one who stands up and says, I'm angry, I was wronged, and I deserve to be here.

—Monica Hesse

Other houses flirted with relaxed interpretations of womanliness—fluid skirts and feminine knits at Hermes, for instance.

—The Windsor (Ontario) Star

Synonyms

• femininity
• feminity
• muliebrity
• womanhood
• womanishness

Examples of womanliness in a Sentence

some cultures consider softheartedness a typical element of womanliness

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above