It implies that they are not "an actor". The "-ess" suffix (as someone noted) has its origins in gender rather than sex (language tip: … actress's -singular form ( example: actress's dress,) actress' shirt ( if a singular noun ending in s is followed by a word beginning with s, use only the apostrophe, not 's) actresses '-plural form (all English plurals ending in s form the possessive by adding an apostrophe) Aug 04 2013 05:56:07. As actress is a specifically feminine word, some groups assert that the word is sexist. Since English doesn't use gendered nouns, there has been a move towards gender neutral words for jobs ("flight attendant" instead of 'air hostess/steward', "server" instead of 'waiter/waitress'). Actress definition is - a woman or girl who is an actor. It's just a gender separation that our industry has come to the informal consensus that we don't need. “The word ‘actress’ has always seemed less a job description to me than a title,” Gene Tierney once observed. The suffix -ess in names of occupations such as actress, hostess and waitress shows that the person doing the job is a woman. Words such as actress, manageress, etc are sexist identifiers to show that form is not normal and out of the ordinary." This is manifest political tosh and quackery applied to language. More so in theatre and dance, and it's still incredibly prevalent in opera. And it's not disappearing particularly quickly, it's still pretty abundant in entertainment. Saying "actress" emphasises that it is a woman that acts. Gender-neutral usage of actor has re-emerged in modern English, especially when referring to male and female performers collectively, but actress remains the common term used in major acting awards given to female recipients and is common in general usage. The BBC drama, which stars Morven Christie and Lee Ingleby, tells the story of the Hughes family. Grammatically it is incorrect to refer to the feminine gender of actor as female actor. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! You are right. Instead you can use actor or host (although actress and hostess are still very common), or a neutral word, such as server for waiter and waitress. According to English grammar and as written in the best selling English Grammar books like Wren and Martin, the feminine for actor is actress. See more. Many people now avoid these. After two and a half years, The A Word is finally returning for its third series. Recent Examples on the Web Olympia Dukakis, the Academy Award-winning actress and Lowell native, has died at 89, according to her family. The world would be a much better place if today's washed-up actresses saw patriotism as the route to respectability. Synonyms for actress include performer, player, thespian, actor, artist, artiste, theatrical, trouper, diva and histrionic. Calling an actress an actress isn't derogatory at all. : Before the Second World War, actresses who played Titania usually aimed at an ethereal, queenly elegance and beauty. — BostonGlobe.com, "Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award-winning actress, dies," 1 May 2021 Some past guests include comedian and actress Margaret Cho, Vice President Kamala Harris, and author Viet … : Of course, ignominious ends for formerly beautiful actresses is a tale familiar to the point of cliche. Actress definition, a woman who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc., especially professionally.