gender
gender — noun
1. the groups into which a society classifies people based on shared cultural trait
the groups into which a society classifies people based on shared cultural traits, behaviors, or identities — for example, those commonly connected with men, women, or non‑binary individuals.
The school held a workshop on gender equality and respect for all students.
collocation: gender equality
In many countries, traditional gender roles are changing as men and women share household tasks.
collocation: gender roles
Lucía's research explores how gender shapes people's opportunities at work.
The survey asked participants to select their gender from several options.
Benjamin noticed that children's advertisements often reinforce gender stereotypes.
- sex
often confused with gender; 'sex' refers to biology, while 'gender' refers to social/cultural identity
- femininity
a narrower term for qualities culturally associated with women, not the whole category
- masculinity
a narrower term for qualities culturally associated with men, not the whole category
用法筆記
The most common sense of 'gender' in modern English. It refers to social and cultural identities rather than biological ones. Frequently appears in set phrases such as gender equality, gender roles, and gender identity.
常見錯誤
2. a person's own status or experience of belonging to a particular gender group —
a person's own status or experience of belonging to a particular gender group — for example, identifying as a man, a woman, or non‑binary.
Shirin's understanding of her own gender grew as she learned about different identities.
The clinic provides care that respects each person's gender and personal history.
Nkechi wrote an essay about how people express their gender through clothing and hobbies.
The new form let people state their gender without choosing from only two options.
Harper felt comfortable at the company because colleagues respected everyone's gender.
- gender identity
a more specific psychological term for one's internal sense of gender
- gender expression
refers to how someone shows their gender through appearance and behavior, rather than the status itself
用法筆記
This sense emphasizes the personal experience of belonging to a gender. It often overlaps with the term 'gender identity', though gender identity is a more specific psychological concept.
常見錯誤
3. the division of people or animals by physical and biological traits — such as ch
the division of people or animals by physical and biological traits — such as chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy — into types including masculine, feminine, or a combination of both.
Some older medical forms still use the word 'gender' to ask about biological sex.
Maja learned in biology class that gender is sometimes confused with physical sex.
Gabriel noted that although the form said 'gender', it was about the baby's sex at birth.
Among sea turtles, the temperature of the sand determines the gender of the hatchlings.
Dr. Sari checked the baby's gender on the hospital form from the delivery room.
- sex
the standard term for biological and physical differences between male, female, and intersex organisms
- biological sex
explicitly refers to physical and genetic characteristics
用法筆記
This usage — treating 'gender' as a synonym for biological sex — is becoming less common as the distinction between sex and gender is more widely understood. In formal and academic writing, 'sex' is preferred for biological differences, while 'gender' is reserved for social and cultural aspects.
常見錯誤
4. a feature of some languages that sorts words such as nouns and their describing
a feature of some languages that sorts words such as nouns and their describing adjectives into categories like masculine, feminine, or neuter, so that related words must match each other in form within a sentence.
In French, every noun has a grammatical gender — it is either masculine or feminine.
collocation: grammatical gender
Diya struggled at first with remembering the gender of German nouns.
Adjectives in Spanish change their ending to match the gender of the noun they describe.
Learning the gender of each new word helps Sophia use Italian correctly.
Chinese does not have grammatical gender, so speakers of Chinese often find this concept unfamiliar.
用法筆記
Only applies to languages that use grammatical gender, such as French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Latin. Chinese has no grammatical gender system. Some languages, like English, have limited natural gender (he / she) but no true grammatical gender for nouns.
常見錯誤
gender — verb
1. to decide or believe that a person or thing fits into one of the gender categori
to decide or believe that a person or thing fits into one of the gender categories that a society recognizes — for example, assuming someone is a woman based on their appearance, or designing a product for a specific gender group.
People often gender babies by choosing pink or blue clothes for them.
collocation: gender babies by [color/appearance]
Owen felt annoyed when strangers gendered him based on his long hair.
The teacher tried not to gender the classroom activities so all students felt included.
Advertisers frequently gender their products to appeal more strongly to one group of buyers.
Sophia's school asks staff not to gender students by the clothes they wear.
文法句型
gender + object
usually passive or negative
用法筆記
Often used in passive constructions ('the baby was gendered as female') or in negative statements about assumptions. Can carry a critical tone when describing unfair or unwanted gender assignments.