The core misogyny meaning is hatred of, dislike of, or contempt for women, or a fixed belief that women are inferior to men. A misogynist is a person who holds such views, and words or actions that show them are misogynistic.
The word has been in English for centuries, but its use has widened. Many people now apply it not only to open hatred but also to everyday attitudes, jokes and rules that treat women as lesser. That broader use is common, and it is also debated, as explained below.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Hatred of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against womenPart of speech
Noun (uncountable)Pronunciation
mih-SOJ-uh-nee; misogynist: mih-SOJ-uh-nistWord forms
misogynist (noun, adjective), misogynistic, misogynousOrigin
Greek misos, "hatred", plus gyne, "woman"; in English from the 1600sParallel words
misandry (toward men), philogyny (fondness for women)Register
Formal and serious; common in news, law and academic writing
Misogynist meaning and the other forms
- Misogyny (noun): the attitude or belief itself. "The report described misogyny in online forums."
- Misogynist (noun): a person who dislikes or looks down on women. "He was called a misogynist after the remarks." It also works as an adjective: "misogynist comments".
- Misogynistic (adjective): showing misogyny. "a misogynistic joke", "misogynistic laws". This is the most common adjective.
- Misogynous (adjective): an older, rarer form with the same meaning.
All are said with the stress on SOJ: mih-SOJ-uh-nee, mih-SOJ-uh-nist, mih-soj-uh-NIS-tik.
Where the word comes from
Misogyny is built from two Greek parts: misos, hatred, and gyne, woman. The same miso- appears in misanthrope (a hater of people in general), and gyne appears in gynaecology. English had misogynist by the early 1600s and misogyny by the mid-1600s, often in writing about people who refused to marry or who wrote against women.
The misogyny meaning: narrow and broad readings
What does misogyny mean in practice? Any misogyny definition has to choose between two common uses, and much disagreement comes from mixing them up.
- Narrow sense: active hatred or hostility toward women. Under this reading, misogyny is an emotion or attitude held by certain individuals.
- Broad sense: ingrained prejudice against women, including attitudes, customs or systems that treat them as less capable or less valuable, even when no one feels hatred. In recent decades, many reference works and scholars have added this sense.
Those who favour the broad sense say it captures harm that does not look like open hatred, such as being paid less or not taken seriously. Those who prefer the narrow sense worry that stretching the word makes it lose force, or that it gets attached to disagreements that are not about women at all. Writers who want to be clear often say which sense they mean, or use sexism for unequal treatment and keep misogyny for hostility.
In sentences
- The novel's narrator slowly reveals his misogyny through how he describes his coworkers.
- Teachers discussed how to respond when students repeat misogynistic slurs heard online.
- The historian traced misogyny in old medical texts that called women too emotional to reason.
- She refused to laugh at the misogynist joke and changed the subject.
Using the word fairly
Because the word is a serious charge, it is most convincing when tied to specific words or actions. Linking it to clear evidence helps readers judge for themselves. It appears in law and policy, for example in discussions of hate speech or workplace discrimination, in academic work on gender, and in news. For related topics, see feminism, discrimination plus the hub for society and politics words, where neighbouring terms are grouped.
Frequently asked questions
What is the definition of misogyny in simple words?
To define misogyny simply: it means hating women or believing they are worth less than men. Today it also covers deep-seated prejudice against women, even without open hatred.
What does misogynist mean?
To define misogynist in a line: a person who dislikes, distrusts or looks down on women. As an adjective, it describes words or behaviour that show those views.
What is the opposite of misogyny?
The direct opposite is philogyny, meaning fondness for women. The parallel term for hatred of men is misandry, which people sometimes call the opposite, though it is really a mirror word.
Is misogyny the same as sexism?
They overlap but are not identical. Sexism is unfair treatment based on sex and can affect anyone, while misogyny points specifically to hostility or contempt toward women.
How do you pronounce misogyny?
Say mih-SOJ-uh-nee. The g sounds like j, and SOJ carries the weight.
What is the definition of misogynistic?
The misogynistic definition is simple: it describes something that shows dislike of, or prejudice against, women, such as a misogynistic comment or policy. If you need to define misogynistic in an essay, add an example of the behaviour.