femme

IPA/fem/
KK[fˈɛm]IPA/fem/

femme — adjective

  • femmepositive
  • femmercomparative
  • femmestsuperlative

1. describes a gay woman whose personal style, clothing, and behaviour reflect what

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a gay woman whose personal style, clothing, and behaviour reflect what her culture traditionally considers feminine

Example

Sayaka describes herself as a femme lesbian who enjoys wearing dresses and makeup.

describes oneself as + adjective identity label

The dating app let Nia choose between butch, femme, and other identity options.

contrasted with butch; used in selection settings

Common collocations
  • femme lesbian
  • femme gay woman
  • femme and butch
  • femme style
  • femme appearance
  • femme identity
Synonyms
  • feminine

    General term for female-associated traits; lacks the LGBTQ+ community-specific meaning of 'femme'

  • lipstick lesbian

    More mainstream term focused on feminine appearance; not tied to butch-femme subculture

Antonyms
  • butch

    Describes a lesbian who presents in a masculine-coded way; the traditional counterpart to femme within LGBTQ+ communities

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively to describe a lesbian or queer woman, not a heterosexual woman. Often paired with the contrasting term 'butch'.

Common Mistakes

She acts femme, but she is straight.
She acts femme, but she dates men.
'Femme' in LGBTQ+ contexts still refers to a gay or queer woman; using it for a straight woman who is merely feminine is not idiomatic.
She wears a femme dress.
She has a femme style.
'Femme' describes a person's overall identity or presentation; it is not used to describe a single item of clothing.

femme — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Femme,' 'butch,' 'lipstick lesbian,' and 'feminine lesbian' all describe identity or appearance within LGBTQ+ women's communities, but they differ in scope and cultural weight. 'Femme' is a community-specific label rooted in mid-20th century butch-femme bar culture; it carries historical significance as a chosen identity, not just a description of style. 'Butch' is its traditional counterpart and refers to a lesbian who presents in a masculine-coded way. 'Lipstick lesbian' is a more recent, mainstream term emphasising feminine appearance (especially makeup and fashion) but is not tied to butch-femme relationship dynamics. 'Feminine lesbian' is a neutral descriptive phrase without subcultural connotations. For example: 'She identifies as a femme and dates a butch partner' uses the subcultural identity label, whereas 'She is a feminine lesbian who enjoys gardening' simply describes personal style.

femme ↗butch ↗lipstick lesbianfeminine lesbian

Common collocations

Nouns

  • femme identity
  • femme community
  • femme style
  • femme appearance

Phrases

  • butch and femme
  • identify as a femme
  • femme and butch

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Borrowed from French 'femme' (meaning 'woman'). The term entered English LGBTQ+ slang in the mid-20th century, emerging within working-class lesbian bar culture in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. In that context, 'butch' and 'femme' identities created a visible social framework for same-sex relationships at a time when such relationships were widely stigmatised. The word continues to function as both a noun and an adjective within contemporary queer communities.