actress

UK /ˈæk.trəs/ US /ˈæk.trəs/ Syllables: ac-tress

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A woman who performs in plays, movies, or television shows.

An actress is a woman who plays a part in a play, a film or a television show. The word has been used for a long time, and many awards still have a separate prize for the best actress. Today many women in the profession prefer to be called actors, and you will see both words in news and reviews. Use whichever the person herself uses. The plural is actresses, with the ending es.

"The actress won an award for her role in the film."

Example sentences

"The actress won an award for her role in the film."

Level A2
"My favorite actress is in a new comedy."

Level A1
"The young actress practiced her lines every night."

Level A2
"Two actresses played the sisters in the play."

Level A2

Look-alikes and common mistakes

actor : Actor is used for men and, today, often for women too. Actress means a woman who acts.
star : A star is a very famous performer. An actress may or may not be a star.

Word family and forms

Forms: actresses

actor act acting action

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "actress".

a famous actress
the best actress
a leading actress
a film actress
a young actress
an award-winning actress

Origin

Actress is made from actor plus the ending -ess, which marks a woman, and it is first recorded in English in the late 1500s. It was probably formed in English and not borrowed from a French word.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

Many people today use "actor" for performers of any gender, so "actress" is heard less often than it used to be.

How to remember it

Actress is actor with the ending -ess, which marks a woman: like princess and waitress.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The _____ won an award for her role in the film."

Answer: actress

In your own words, what does "actress" mean?