male-to-female
Americanadjective
noun
Sensitive Note
Male-to-female was once the accepted terminology for women who were assigned male at birth. The term continues to be used in medical literature, and some transgender people do identify that way. Especially among younger transgender people, however, trans woman is now a more popular term for this demographic. For some people, the term male-to-female can be offensive for its implication that trans women were “originally” male, and have only now become female.
Etymology
Origin of male-to-female
First recorded in 1965–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last month, however, a World Athletics working group recommended a revision to eligibility regulations for male-to-female trans athletes, on the basis of fresh evidence which it said shows there is a "significant performance gap before the onset of puberty".
From BBC
Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated placed pop star Kim Petras on one of the four covers of its annual women’s swimsuit edition, making the singer the second male-to-female transgender model to make the cover.
From Washington Times
It comes after Austin Killips became the first male-to-female transgender athlete to win a UCI women's stage race at the Tour of the Gila on Sunday.
From BBC
Professional guidelines call for hormone therapy — such as testosterone for female-to-male transition and estrogen for male-to-female — to begin around the age of 15 to 16.
From Los Angeles Times
Authentic male-to-female drag, not the straight, 1980s cross-dressing antics of a Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari in “Bosom Buddies” or Maxwell Q. Klinger in “MASH,” has only taken its place as a celebratory mainstay in popular culture since 2016.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
