Cambridge Dictionary changed the definition of the word “woman” and critics are not happy about it.
Christopher Rufo, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, shared the new definition on Twitter.
According to the dictionary, a woman is “an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.”
The dictionary includes two examples of using the word.
“She was the first trans woman elected to a national office,” one example states.
Another reads, “Mary is a woman who was assigned male at birth.”
Cambridge Dictionary just dropped a new definition of "woman." pic.twitter.com/qDb17DJP5H
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 12, 2022
Attorney Marina Medvin reacted, saying, “Imagine inverting **the dictionary definition** of a term that defines half of the world’s population while simultaneously claiming cultural handicap.”
Imagine inverting **the dictionary definition** of a term that defines half of the world’s population while simultaneously claiming cultural handicap. https://t.co/BJ45E0PsgM
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 13, 2022
Rod Dreher, senior editor for The American Conservative, tweeted, “Seriously, control of language to define reality is Totalitarianism 101. Polish scholar told me in Live Not By Lies that one must have small groups within which language corresponds to reality. Keeping alive memory of the Real is vital!”
Seriously, control of language to define reality is Totalitarianism 101. Polish scholar told me in Live Not By Lies that one must have small groups within which language corresponds to reality. Keeping alive memory of the Real is vital! https://t.co/2NrdGZaSMi
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) December 13, 2022
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh suggested the “‘what is a woman’ question has been so effective that they’re now rewriting the dictionary to try and neutralize it. It’s absurd and Orwellian, but also a sign that we’re winning the argument.”
The “what is a woman” question has been so effective that they’re now rewriting the dictionary to try and neutralize it. It’s absurd and Orwellian, but also a sign that we’re winning the argument. https://t.co/jAyZJNCBj8
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 13, 2022
Read more reactions below:
This WOKE madness needs to stop! https://t.co/pmqdGPBUqe
— UK Independence Party (@UKIP) December 13, 2022
TRANSLATION: A woman is someone who says they are a woman which is a word we cannot define so we define it by using the term in the defintion. https://t.co/XuyzWcKhC1
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 13, 2022
OH MY https://t.co/uBIG36cYRx
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 13, 2022
The Emperor is naked and he is still a man even though he had plastic surgery to remove his genitals. https://t.co/dFRcpWTPI9
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) December 13, 2022
They won’t stop until we don’t remember what real women are anymore. https://t.co/PwXrUJT0eD
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) December 13, 2022
I refuse to play along with this delusion. Airbrushed makeup, heels, fake breasts and an exaggerated valley girl voice impersonation does not make you a woman. The fact some people think it does is insulting. Stop erasing women. https://t.co/z1uSsoXtfT
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/stclairashley/status/1602447258825506819
What is a female? https://t.co/yDONbdCvWH
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 12, 2022
No. Hell no. Absolutely not. https://t.co/3Yno4HfE17
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) December 12, 2022
The change comes just months after Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary added a secondary definition of “female.”
The secondary definition states a female means “having a gender identity that is the opposite of male.”
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also provides a section on its website explaining the difference between sex and gender.
“‘Sex’ refers to biological differences between females and males, including chromosomes, sex organs, and endogenous hormonal profiles,” the website states.
The NIH claims “‘Gender’ refers to socially constructed and enacted roles and behaviors which occur in a historical and cultural context and vary across societies and over time. All individuals act in many ways that fulfill the gender expectations of their society. With continuous interaction between sex and gender, health is determined by both biology and the expression of gender.”