Meanings
plural actresses · alternative nonstandard actoress
- A female who performs on the stage or in films.First known use 17th c.
"I'm an actress -- actor, as we have to say these days."
2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 882 more examples
A while ago somewhere I don't know when / I was watchin' a movie with a friend / I fell in love with the actress / She was playin' a part that I could understand
1972, Neil Young, “A Man Needs a Maid”, in HarvestCourt documents appear to show that Ian Edmondson, a senior News of the World journalist, had authorised Mr Mulcaire to hack phones belonging to Sienna Miller, an actress.
2011 January 27, “Not going quietly”, in The Economist - archaicA female doer or "actor" (in a general sense).First known use 16th c.
My mental anguish, and the dreadful scenes in which I had been an actress, advanced the period of my labour.
1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society, published 1985, page 290
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From actor + -ess. Probably formed independently of Middle French actrice.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans aktrise
- aktrisefemale actor — see also actor
Arabic مُمَثِّلَة
- مُمَثِّلَة (mumaṯṯila)female actor — see also actor
Bengali অভিনেত্রী
- অভিনেত্রী (obhinetri)female actor — see also actor
Bulgarian актри́са, арти́стка
- актри́са (aktrísa)female actor — see also actor
- арти́стка (artístka)female actor — see also actor
Catalan actriu
- actriufemale actor — see also actor
Chinese Mandarin 女演員 /女演员, 女優 /女优
- 女演員 /女演员 (nǚyǎnyuán)female actor — see also actor
- 女優 /女优 (nǚyōu)female actor — see also actor
- 伶 (líng)female actor — see also actor
Czech herečka
- herečkafemale actor — see also actor
Danish skuespillerinde
- skuespillerindefemale actor — see also actor
Dutch actrice
- actricefemale actor — see also actor
Esperanto aktorino
- aktorinofemale actor — see also actor
Estonian näitlejatar, näitlejanna
- näitlejatarfemale actor — see also actor
- näitlejannafemale actor — see also actor
Finnish näyttelijätär, lapsinäyttelijä
- näyttelijätärfemale actor — see also actor
- lapsinäyttelijäfemale actor — see also actor
French actrice
- actricefemale actor — see also actor
German Schauspielerin
- Schauspielerinfemale actor — see also actor
Greek ηθοποιός
- ηθοποιός (ithopoiós)female actor — see also actor
Hebrew שַׂחְקָנִית
- שַׂחְקָנִית (sakhkanít)female actor — see also actor
Hindi अभिनेत्री
- अभिनेत्री (abhinetrī)female actor — see also actor
Hungarian színésznő
- színésznőfemale actor — see also actor
Icelandic leikkona
- leikkonafemale actor — see also actor
Indonesian aktris
- aktrisfemale actor — see also actor
Irish ban-aisteoir, aisteoir mná
- ban-aisteoirfemale actor — see also actor
- aisteoir mnáfemale actor — see also actor
Italian attrice
- attricefemale actor — see also actor
Japanese 女優
- 女優 (joyū)female actor — see also actor
Korean 여배우, 여우
- 여배우 (yeobae'u)female actor — see also actor
- 여우 (yeou)female actor — see also actor
Latin āctrīx
- āctrīxfemale actor — see also actor
Latvian aktrise
- aktrisefemale actor — see also actor
Lithuanian aktorė
- aktorėfemale actor — see also actor
Malay pelakon, pelakon wanita
- pelakonfemale actor — see also actor
- pelakon wanitafemale actor — see also actor
Māori kaitapere
- kaitaperefemale actor — see also actor
Norwegian Bokmål skuespillerinne
- skuespillerinnefemale actor — see also actor
Persian آکتریس
- آکتریس (âktris)female actor — see also actor
Polish aktorka
- aktorkafemale actor — see also actor
Portuguese atriz
- atrizfemale actor — see also actor
Romanian actriță
- actrițăfemale actor — see also actor
Russian актри́са, арти́стка
- актри́са (aktrísa)female actor — see also actor
- арти́стка (artístka)female actor — see also actor
Scottish Gaelic ban-chleasaiche, ban-chluicheadair
- ban-chleasaichefemale actor — see also actor
- ban-chluicheadairfemale actor — see also actor
- ban-actairfemale actor — see also actor
Slovak herečka
- herečkafemale actor — see also actor
Spanish actriz
- actrizfemale actor — see also actor
Swedish skådespelerska, aktris
- skådespelerskafemale actor — see also actor
- aktrisfemale actor — see also actor
Thai นักแสดงหญิง
- นักแสดงหญิง (nák sàdaeng yĭng)female actor — see also actor
Turkish aktris
- aktrisfemale actor — see also actor
Ukrainian акто́рка, актри́са
- акто́рка (aktórka)female actor — see also actor
- актри́са (aktrýsa)female actor — see also actor
- лицеді́йка (lycedíjka)female actor — see also actor
Vietnamese nữ diễn viên
- nữ diễn viênfemale actor — see also actor
Welsh actores
- actoresfemale actor — see also actor
Yiddish שוישפּילערין, אַקטריסע
- שוישפּילערין (shoyshpilerin)female actor — see also actor
- אַקטריסע (aktrise)female actor — see also actor
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
actress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actress
“actress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actress. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “actress,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actress.
Source: actress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.