Etymologically
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sexist

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈsɛksɪst/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English sex + -ist,[2][3][4] on the model of racist,[3][5][4][6] and the OED takes it as formed after sexism.[2] Etymonline and Hendrickson credit the word to a speech of 18 November 1965 at Franklin and Marshall College by its director of special programs, whom Etymonline names Pauline M. Leet and Hendrickson Paulette M. Leet: arguing against the exclusion of women from English courses, she compared such a position to that of the racist and called it "sexist".[3][6] According to Etymonline the speech circulated among feminists in mimeograph, and the word was spread by Caroline Bird's introduction to “Born Female” (1968), which also introduced sexism.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who discriminates on the basis of sex: the OED's first record is from 1949, in F. J. Sheen's Peace of Soul,[2] well before the 1965 speech that Etymonline and Hendrickson take as its coinage.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The adjective is recorded from 1968, in a speech by Caroline Bird printed in Vital Speeches.[2] The OED notes that it is used especially of men who discriminate against women.[2] The related sexism had first meant only the condition of belonging to one sex (1866) before it took the sense of sex prejudice.[2]

Timeline

  • 1949 – noun, one who practises sex discrimination.[2]
  • 18 November 1965 – used in a speech at Franklin and Marshall College.[6][3]
  • 1968 – adjective; popularised by Caroline Bird.[2][3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Showing or based on prejudice or discrimination against people because of their sex, especially against women: a sexist remark.[2][1][7]

Noun

  1. A person who practises or supports sexism.[2][5][1]

Word family

  • antisexist
  • nonsexist

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File
  7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House