UNSEX Definition & Meaning

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unsex

[ uhn-seks ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to render (an animal or person) unable to reproduce sexually, as by removing the testicles or ovaries:
A gelding is a male horse that has been unsexed and cannot breed.
to deprive (oneself or another person) of the qualities or character considered typical or desirable for one's gender:
Those against female suffrage claimed that the right to vote would unsex women, leaving them unable to care for their homes and children.

unsex

/ ʌ��ˈ��ɛ�� /

verb

literary.
to deprive (a person) of the attributes of his or her sex, esp to make a woman more callous

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of unsex¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- ² + sex

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

While it’s commonly understood that Inanna-Ishtar was a goddess, in Sumerian, the word for god is unsexed, and third-person pronouns do not delineate male from female.

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He argued that Stanton’s reforms would “unsex every female in the land.”

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Thus, since the 1970s, the law has endeavored to “unsex” parenting and care work.

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The cubs are currently unnamed and unsexed, but researchers are excited about what kind of conservation implications these births have for the near-threatened species.

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Instead of purchasing unsexed trees from growers, the city should be acquiring certified male trees, as is the practice in other large metropolitan cities and Europe.

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