Misogyny is a word that dates back to the 1650s. We will examine the definition of the word misogyny, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.
Misogyny is the hatred of women or a contempt for women. Misogyny can be expressed in a violent, confrontational manner, in a quiet system of social exclusion or in small, belittling ways disguised as humor. Some misogyny is easy to identify, while other instances of misogyny are more subtle and subversive. Many believe that misogyny actually stems from a deep fear of women, some go so far as to believe that misogyny is a mental illness. Misogyny has waxed and waned in human culture since the beginning of time, including in Ancient Greece. Misogyny is derived from the Greek word misogynia, taken from the Greek word misogynes which means a woman-hater. Related words are misogynist, misogynistic and misogynism.
The word for the hatred of men is misandry. Interestingly, the term misandry is rarely used. Coined in the 1870s, the word misandry is derived from the prefix miso– meaning hatred and andros, meaning male human.
Examples
Actor Jaden Smith said he finds misogyny in rap music ‘hurtful’ and he does not understand why artistes have to use such language to create art. (The Times of India)
But I wonder how many talents have gone unnoticed, how many creative careers have been unfulfilled because they were thwarted by a working culture of misogyny and male dominance. (The Guardian)
Thousands of people have signed a petition calling on the law to be changed to include misogyny and violence against women in the list of hate crime offences. (The Evening Standard)
Author and evangelist Beth Moore has insisted that Jesus Christ is not a misogynist, encouraging people to read the Bible to see how He treated women. (The Christian Post)
Some have accused Womad of taking advantage of the Gangnam murder to promote misandry. (The Korea Herald)