Meanings
Bechdel test1
alternative Bechdel Test
- broadcastingA feminist test used to evaluate the representation of women in fiction, especially in films, TV shows, and other media.
It also will enable users to determine if a project passes the Bechdel Test, measuring whether two female characters speak to each other about anything other than a man.
2019 April 26, Melena Ryzik, “Screenplay Software Adds Tool to Assess a Script’s Inclusiveness”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 26 Nov 20211 more example
Finally, the percentage of musicals that pass the Bechdel test but not the jobs test has also remained consistent―at under 10% for the entire 75 years studied. These results imply that it is far more likely for a musical to pass the Bechdel test if a female character is employed in it; perhaps having a focus other than men for a character aids in more progressive portrayals.
2019 September 5, Jessica Sternfeld, Elizabeth L. Wollman, The Routledge Companion to the Contemporary Musical, Routledge, →ISBNSynonyms: Bechdel-Wallace test
Bechdel Test2
- alternativeAlternative form of Bechdel test
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounA feminist test used to evaluate the representation of women in fiction, especially in films, TV shows, and other media.
Origin
After cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of a 1985 Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip that popularized the test. Reportedly first used in 2007.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Bechdel test. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bechdel%20test
“Bechdel test.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bechdel%20test. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bechdel test,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bechdel%20test.
Source: Bechdel test on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.