Word

misogyny

noun C1

UK /mɪˈsɒd͡ʒ.ɪ.ni/

US /mɪˈsɑd͡ʒ.ɪ.ni/

Meanings

noun

A strong dislike of, contempt for, or prejudice against women.

noun

Actions, comments, or social practices that express or reinforce prejudice against women.

Definition

Misogyny is a strong dislike of, contempt for, or prejudice against women.

Misogyny refers to attitudes or behaviors that devalue women simply because they are women. It can appear in speech, jokes, harassment, or unequal treatment. The word describes a harmful prejudice, not a casual disagreement with a particular person.

Examples

The columnist was criticized for misogyny after repeatedly framing women as less competent than men.
I recognized the misogyny in my own workplace when women’s ideas were routinely ignored until a man repeated them.
They challenged the misogyny in the script by rewriting scenes that reduced female characters to stereotypes.
She refused to laugh along, calling out the misogyny behind the so-called joke.
You can hear the misogyny in the way he talks about women as if they all think and act the same.

Common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse misogyny (prejudice against women) with misandry (prejudice against men).