womanhood

/ˈwʊmənhʊd/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈʊmənhˌʊd] /ˈwʊmənhʊd/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈʊmənhˌʊd] /ˈwu̇-mən-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce womanhood (audio) especially Southern ˈwō- or ˈwə-/ (ame, mw)

womanhood — noun

1. adult female life as it is lived and understood, especially the stage reached af

1.名詞C1
釋義

adult female life as it is lived and understood, especially the stage reached after girlhood.

例句

At sixteen, Hyun felt the school ceremony marked her step into womanhood.

pattern: step into womanhood

The novel follows Ayesha from shy girlhood into confident womanhood in Lahore.

pattern: from girlhood into womanhood

同義詞
  • adulthood

    broader and gender-neutral; it does not focus on female experience

  • girlhood

    the earlier life stage before becoming an adult woman

  • femininity

    describes qualities linked with women, not the life stage itself

反義詞
  • manhood

    the parallel state or stage of being an adult man

文法句型

enter womanhood

move into womanhood

journey into womanhood

step into womanhood

用法筆記

Often appears in writing about growing up, identity, and how adult female life is shaped by family or society. It can point to an experience or social stage, not just to biology.

常見錯誤

❌She entered to womanhood at fifteen.
✅She entered womanhood at fifteen.
💡'Enter' takes the noun directly here.
❌Womanhoods differ by country.
✅Ideas of womanhood differ by country.
💡'Womanhood' is usually uncountable.

2. the traits, behaviour, or social roles that a culture connects with women.

2.名詞C1
釋義

the traits, behaviour, or social roles that a culture connects with women.

例句

The magazine linked womanhood with soft voices and careful manners, which Tamar disliked.

pattern: link womanhood with [qualities]

Chidi said strength and kindness were both part of womanhood in his family.

pattern: part of womanhood

同義詞
  • femininity

    close in meaning, but often focuses more on style, manner, or appearance

  • womanliness

    sounds more old-fashioned and often approving of traditional roles

  • female identity

    broader and more modern; it can include personal identity beyond stereotypes

反義詞

文法句型

idea of womanhood

image of womanhood

part of womanhood

sign of womanhood

用法筆記

Usually appears when people discuss expectations or ideals attached to women. It often overlaps with femininity, but womanhood can include roles, duties, and lived experience as well as style or appearance.

常見錯誤

❌Her womanhood is very elegant clothes.
✅Her idea of womanhood includes elegant clothes.
💡Use it for a broader concept, not as a label for one object.
❌Womanhood means only being gentle.
✅Some people connect womanhood with gentleness.
💡This sense refers to social beliefs, not a fixed truth.

3. women spoken of together as one whole class, usually in formal or literary langu

3.名詞C1
釋義

women spoken of together as one whole class, usually in formal or literary language.

例句

The charity said the law would protect womanhood only if village girls stayed in school.

formal collective use: protect womanhood

The speaker called on womanhood across the country to vote against the proposal.

pattern: call on womanhood

同義詞
  • womankind

    very close in meaning, but even more literary or old-fashioned

  • women

    the normal everyday term for the same group

  • the female sex

    more biological or scientific in tone

反義詞
  • men

    male people considered together as a group

文法句型

protect womanhood

call on womanhood

praise womanhood

voice of womanhood

用法筆記

This collective use is formal and often rhetorical. Writers use it in speeches, essays, or poems when they mean women as a whole, not a small group of named people.

常見錯誤

❌The womanhood in my office are planning lunch.
✅The women in my office are planning lunch.
💡Use this sense for women in general, not for a small countable group.
❌Many womanhoods spoke at the meeting.
✅Many women spoke at the meeting.
💡This use is collective and usually not plural.