What does misogynous mean?
Misogynous means characterized by hatred, prejudice, or unfair disregard toward women. It can describe remarks, attitudes, behaviour, social practices, or institutions that stereotype women, deny their equal status, or place them at a disadvantage. The adjective is closely related to misogyny, a noun meaning prejudice or hostility toward women, and to misogynistic, a more frequently used adjective with a similar meaning. In discussion of literature, politics, media, and social issues, the word identifies language or conduct that is dismissive, hostile, or discriminatory rather than merely describing an unequal outcome. Its force comes from clearly naming a form of prejudice directed specifically at women. It is a formal, evaluative term and is commonly used in criticism, analysis, and public debate. While misogynistic may be more natural in many contemporary contexts, misogynous is well established and particularly useful when describing language, behaviour, attitudes, or cultural patterns marked by sexism.
adjectiveHaving or expressing hatred, prejudice, or unfair disregard toward women. The term describes attitudes, language, behavior, or institutions that privilege men and disadvantage women.
- Characterized by hatred, prejudice, or unfair disregard toward women.
"The campaign was criticized for its misogynous portrayal of female politicians."
"The advertisement was condemned as misogynous because it portrayed women as inferior to men."
"The novel criticizes the narrator's misogynous treatment of the women around him."
Misogynous comes from the same Greek building blocks as the word for hatred itself and the word for woman, making its meaning unusually transparent: hatred directed toward women.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misogynous come from?
The word was formed in the early modern period from Greek elements meaning “hatred” and “woman,” with the prefix-like form mis- expressing hatred of. The underlying combination is also reflected in related words such as misogynist and the more recent form misogynistic. The same Greek roots appear in compounds concerning hostility toward men, such as misandrist, while the element meaning “woman” also underlies words such as gynocracy and gynoecium.
Related word forms
How misogynous is actually used
This is a formal and critical term. In everyday use, misogynistic is often preferred, especially when describing an attitude or a person perceived as hostile toward women.
Easily confused with misogynous
Both words describe prejudice against women, but misogynistic is especially common for expressing contempt toward women or treating them as inferior, while misogynous can be used more broadly for language, attitudes, practices, or institutions marked by sexism.
A misandrist is someone who holds hostile or prejudiced attitudes toward men, whereas a misogynous attitude is directed toward women.