genderspeak

genderspeak noun: gender-neutral language or communication.

Noun

genderspeak (uncountable)

(derogatory) Gender-neutral language or communication.
- 'Man' when used of the human race is the primary use, which the Shorter Oxford Dictionary still upholds, and so what we are seeing is not a change of inclusive language so much as a kind of 'genderspeak'.1994, Mark Turnham Elvins, Towards a People's Liturgy: The Importance of Language, page 56
- The result is a slightly odd hybrid of '90s genderspeak and the cornball phrasing in Preston Sturges movies. One of my favorite passages, on sex in sobriety, substitutes human beings for man and now reads: […]1996, Utne Reader, November-December 1996, page 96
Gendered language or communication.
- Eliminate genderspeak from job titles and terminology. Replace salesman and mailman with sales representative and mail carrier.1993, B. Eugene Griessman, Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities, page 44
- While she [Olenna Tyrell] directly ridicules authority figures like Varys and Tyrion, and stands up for her goals, she also uses pacifying genderspeak as Daenerys does. She comforts a terrified Sansa by telling her they're just a group of women chatting.2014, Valerie Estelle Frankel, Women in Game of Thrones: Power, Conformity and Resistance, page 123
The communication style and/or speech pattern associated with a particular gender.
- Mary Crawford psychology professor at the University of South Carolina and an authority in the field of "genderspeak," complains that Tannen has not thoroughly analyzed the power issues involved in speech.1997, Marry Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, page 40
- I think it's time we all lightened up and realized that we can't control each other's behaviors or alter each other's personalities by dissecting every little thing with genderspeak. Indeed, we should read, investigate, and educate ourselves to understand our differences. But you have to agree that...1998, Loretta LaRoche, Relax--You May Have Only a Few Minutes Left: Using the Power of Humor to Overcome Stress in Your Life and Work, page 143
Synonyms:

genderlect

Examples of genderspeak in a sentence

I've also strayed from the politically correct in many ways, not the least of which is genderspeak.2005, Bendrix Bailey, The Chief No Officer: Confessions of an Unconventional Entrepreneur, unnumbered page:
In the genderspeak of the Cold War, the biggest doughface of them all was Alger Hiss.2011, James Penner, Pinks, Pansies, and Punks: The Rhetoric of Masculinity in American Literary Culture, page 91:
I think it's time we all lightened up and realized that we can't control each other's behaviors or alter each other's personalities by dissecting every little thing with genderspeak.1998, Loretta LaRoche, Relax--You May Have Only a Few Minutes Left: Using the Power of Humor to Overcome Stress in Your Life and Work, page...
Genderspeak creates confusion between parents and children of the opposite sex just as surely as it does between parents themselves.2002, Deborah Tannen, I Only Say This Because I Love You: Talking to Your Parents, Partner, Sibs, and Kids When You're All Adults, page 136:

Synonyms of genderspeak

genderlect

Origin of genderspeak

From gender + -speak.

Questions about genderspeak

What does genderspeak mean?: Genderspeak means gender-neutral language or communication.
How do you use genderspeak in a sentence?: I've also strayed from the politically correct in many ways, not the least of which is genderspeak.
What part of speech is genderspeak?: Genderspeak is a noun.

Words near genderspeak in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: genderspeak (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “genderspeak.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/genderspeak. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.