What does tigress mean?
A tigress is a female tiger, and the word is also a traditional figurative description of a fierce, formidable, or aggressively energetic woman. In its literal sense, it identifies the female of the large striped cat Panthera tigris and can be used in wildlife reporting, natural history, and descriptions of animal behavior. The figurative sense appears in literature and historical prose, where it emphasizes ferocity, determination, or an imposing presence. Modern usage of that figurative meaning may sound dated or theatrical, and it can carry sexist implications if it presents female strength as unusually dangerous. The term is more specifically gendered than the general word “tiger,” which can refer to the species, an individual animal of either sex, a symbolic figure, or various other concepts. Despite its emphatic figurative associations, the literal word remains ordinary and precise for describing a female tiger.
nounA female tiger. Figuratively, a woman characterized as fierce, aggressive, formidable, or fearlessly energetic.
- A female tiger.
- A fierce, aggressive, or formidable woman.
"The tigress guarded her cubs with surprising ferocity."
"A tigress prowled the edge of the forest at dusk."
"She faced the hostile committee like a tigress."
The standard plural adds -es to the noun.
"Two tigresses were observed near the river."
Tigress is a tiger with a grammatical gender marker: Old French tigresse pairs the animal’s name with the suffix -ess.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tigress come from?
English borrowed the word from Old French tigresse, in which the feminine suffix -ess was added to tiger. English “tiger” comes through Old French from Latin tigris, while “tigurine” and “tigrine” are less common derivatives associated with the same classical source. The English noun developed both its literal reference to a female tiger and its figurative description of a fierce woman.
How tigress is actually used
The literal animal sense is straightforward and current. The figurative sense is established but can sound theatrical, archaic, or stereotypical in modern contexts, especially when it characterizes a woman as unusually aggressive. It should not be used in a way that treats a woman's strength as an exception to an assumed norm.