: the quality or state of being neither specifically feminine or masculine : the combination of feminine and masculine characteristics : the quality or state of being androgynous
For this brand, wearing unisex clothing perpetuates androgyny that pervades runways and our own culture. Dylan Leavitt
And though he was singing to women, he reveled in androgyny, appearing onstage in high heels, frilly shirts and revealing chaps. Jack Riedy
… I felt like someone else was seeing what I had seen in myself: that my inner sense of androgyny was reflected in ways I carried myself like a man. Delacey Skinner
The natural androgyny of old age has acquired no appeal. The tendency of male and female bodies to resemble each other in late maturity is still conventionally ridiculous and deplorable … Anne Hollander

Examples of androgyny in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Their instantly arresting look pulled from David Bowie’s androgyny and the drag-culture underground in New York. August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025 And while designers like Alexander McQueen pushed theatrical rebellion and Jean Paul Gaultier played with androgyny and provocation, John Richmond has remained deeply intertwined with the pulse of youth culture, making his brand feel authentic at London Fashion Week rather than appropriative. Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of androgyny was in 1836

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Cite this Entry

“Androgyny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/androgyny. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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