womanhood
gb/wˈʊmənhˌʊd/ us/wˈʊmənhˌʊd/
B2
English
~ 8800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
state
1
state of being an adult woman
The state of being an adult female person.
Usage pattern:
to enter/experience [womanhood]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "womanhood" with "women" and try to say *"the womanhood in my office"* when they mean *"the women in my office." "Womanhood" is usually used for the state of being a woman or for broad, general discussions, not to count specific people.
Synonyms
female adulthood (A clear, direct phrase; more clinical and less commonly used as a fixed term than "womanhood.")
|
womanliness (Often focuses more on qualities or behavior than on the basic state of being an adult female.)
Antonyms
girlhood (Refers to the earlier life stage before a female becomes an adult woman.)
Collocations
enter womanhood
|reach womanhood
|experience womanhood
|modern womanhood
|celebrate womanhood
|define womanhood
Themes
gender
|society
|life stages
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
Examples
- Her journey into womanhood was shaped by the strong women in her family.
- Many cultures have ceremonies that mark the beginning of womanhood.
- The novel follows the main character from childhood through womanhood.
- She spoke about the challenges and joys of womanhood in the modern world.
- Early marriage forced her into womanhood before she was emotionally ready.
Learner examples
- In some places, a special party marks a girl’s entry into womanhood.
- She writes about her life and her womanhood on her blog.
- The movie shows her growth from childhood to womanhood.
- Puberty is often seen as the start of womanhood.
- She feels that womanhood brings both freedom and responsibility.
Noun
C1
entity
2
women considered as a group
All adult women, when we think about them as one group.
Usage pattern:
[womanhood] in [place/context]
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use "womanhood" where simple "women" is more natural, for example saying *"Womanhood in my class is very smart"* instead of *"The women in my class are very smart." Use "womanhood" mainly in broad, abstract, or rhetorical statements, not to refer to a small, specific group of women.
Synonyms
women (More common and direct; "womanhood" sounds more abstract, formal, or rhetorical when referring to women as a group.)
|
womankind (A literary or old-fashioned collective term with a similar sense of all women together.)
Antonyms
manhood (When used collectively, refers to adult men as a group, often in contrast to women considered together.)
Collocations
global womanhood
|American womanhood
|Black womanhood
|support womanhood
|oppress womanhood
|represent womanhood
Themes
gender
|society
|politics
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
Examples
- The organization works to improve the lives of womanhood worldwide.
- Her achievement was celebrated as a victory for womanhood.
- The film has been praised for its honest portrayal of modern womanhood.
- He claimed to respect womanhood, but his actions suggested otherwise.
- The author explores how religion has shaped womanhood in different cultures.
Learner examples
- This law is an important step for womanhood in our country.
- Her speech was a strong message to support womanhood.
- The magazine is about health and work for modern womanhood.
- Many groups fight for the rights of womanhood around the world.
- They made a film that honors womanhood and its many stories.
Noun
C1
entity
3
qualities associated with being a woman
The ideas, roles, and qualities that people often connect with being a woman.
Usage pattern:
[ideas/notions] of [womanhood]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes treat this sense as only meaning "being female" and miss the idea of social roles and expectations. In sentences like *"She rejects traditional womanhood,"* it usually means she rejects traditional roles and ideas about women, not that she rejects being female at all.
Synonyms
femininity (Usually highlights traits seen as female (like softness or grace), while "womanhood" can include social roles, power, and identity as well as traits.)
Antonyms
masculinity (Refers to traits and roles commonly associated with being a man, often contrasted with "womanhood" in gender discussions.)
Collocations
ideal of womanhood
|traditional womanhood
|concept of womanhood
|notions of womanhood
|model of womanhood
|expression of womanhood
Themes
gender
|culture
|identity
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
Examples
- She rejects narrow ideas of womanhood based only on appearance.
- The book challenges traditional womanhood by celebrating women who do not want children.
- For her, motherhood became a powerful part of her womanhood.
- Different cultures have very different expectations of womanhood.
- The documentary explores how sport reshaped her sense of womanhood.
Learner examples
- The teacher asked the class to talk about what womanhood means to them.
- He has an old idea of womanhood that many people do not like now.
- She feels her work is an important part of her womanhood.
- People today discuss new models of womanhood on social media.
- Movies can change how we think about womanhood.
Noun
C1
event
4
time when a girl becomes a woman
The time in life when a girl becomes a woman, often at puberty or at a special event.
Usage pattern:
to enter [womanhood] at [age/time]
Synonyms
coming of age (A broader term that can apply to any gender; "womanhood" here is specifically about a girl's change into a woman.)
Antonyms
childhood (Refers to the earlier stage of life before the transition into adult status and responsibilities.)
Collocations
enter womanhood
|arrival of womanhood
|transition to womanhood
|rites of womanhood
|threshold of womanhood
|age of womanhood
Themes
life stages
|culture
|family
|time
|body
|relationships
Examples
- In that village, a special festival marks a girl's entry into womanhood.
- Her parents saw her first period as the start of womanhood.
- The novel opens as the main character stands on the threshold of womanhood.
- Many societies have rituals to celebrate the arrival of womanhood.
- She felt unprepared for the expectations that came with womanhood.
Learner examples
- Some cultures have a big party when a girl enters womanhood.
- Her family said that her fifteenth birthday was the beginning of womanhood.
- The movie shows her fears as she comes to womanhood.
- For her, womanhood started when she left home and began to work.
- They created a song to celebrate her womanhood.
Grammar
Dictionary form
womanhood
IPA
GB/wˈʊmənhˌʊd/
US/wˈʊmənhˌʊd/
Syllables & stress
wo - man - hood (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (wo)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: womanhood
- Plural: womanhood
Word family
Expressions
come into womanhood
1/kˈʌm ˈɪntu wˈʊmənhˌʊd/
fixed phrase
to grow into being a woman
To slowly grow and change from a girl into a woman, in body, mind, and role.
Examples
- The series follows three friends as they come into womanhood together.
- She came into womanhood during a time of major social change.
- Leaving her small town helped her come into womanhood on her own terms.
enter womanhood
1/ˈɛntɚ wˈʊmənhˌʊd/
fixed phrase
to become an adult woman
To reach the time in life when a girl becomes a woman, often at puberty or a special age.
Examples
- In some cultures, girls enter womanhood with a public celebration.
- She felt she truly entered womanhood when she moved out and lived alone.
- The ceremony marks the moment when teenagers are said to enter womanhood.
on the cusp of womanhood
1/ˈɔn ðə kˈʌsp əv wˈʊmənhˌʊd/
fixed phrase
almost but not yet a woman
At an age or time when a girl is very close to becoming a woman.
Examples
- The painting shows a girl on the cusp of womanhood, uncertain but hopeful.
- The story focuses on a teenager on the cusp of womanhood in a strict religious community.
- Parents often worry about daughters on the cusp of womanhood facing new pressures.