What does murderess mean?
A murderess is, literally, a woman who murders another person. The word was formed by adding the feminine agent suffix “-ess” to “murder,” but it is now archaic and is encountered chiefly in historical writing, period fiction, and accounts of famous crimes. In contemporary usage, the gender-neutral “murderer” is normally clearer and more appropriate, even when the person in question is known to be a woman. The older term may still convey a historical or dramatic quality, but it can also appear unnecessarily sensational or reflect an outdated convention that assigned gendered labels to people according to sex. For modern factual writing, “murderer,” “killer,” or a more precise term such as “assassin” is generally preferable. “Murderess” remains useful when quoting historical language or deliberately recreating the vocabulary of a particular period.
nounA woman who deliberately kills another person; a female murderer. The term is now archaic and occurs mainly in historical or literary contexts.
- A woman who deliberately kills another person.
"The novel identifies the murderess as a former governess who had concealed her identity."
"The police arrested the suspected murderess shortly after the body was discovered."
"In the period drama, the murderess is revealed only in the final act."
The regular plural of the archaic noun “murderess.”
"The newspaper described the two murderesses as a notorious criminal partnership."
Once a standard label for a woman who committed murder, “murderess” now survives mainly in historical fiction and accounts of notorious cases.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of murderess
English “murderess” was formed from “murder” and the feminine agent suffix “-ess,” a suffix ultimately related to Latin forms denoting female agents or professions. It belongs to the same English word family as “murderer,” “murderous,” and “murderously,” all of which share the Germanic and Old French ancestry of “murder.” As the language developed, the increasingly neutral “murderer” displaced the explicitly gendered “murderess” in ordinary use.
How murderess is actually used
The word is archaic and distinctly gendered. In modern writing, “murderer” or “killer” is normally preferred because they apply regardless of gender. The term can also sound sensational or literary rather than neutral.
Easily confused with murderess
Murderess is an archaic, explicitly gendered term for a woman who kills someone, whereas murderer can refer to a person of any gender.
Murderess is a noun naming a female killer, while murderous is an adjective meaning characterized by or likely to cause murder.