girlboss

noun

girl·​boss ˈgər(-ə)l-ˌbȯs How to pronounce girlboss (audio)
-ˌbäs
variants or less commonly girl boss
plural girlbosses also girl bosses
: an ambitious and successful woman (especially a businesswoman or entrepreneur)
As … a female captain of industry, she became an accidental role model of female ambition and success. She was the ultimate girlboss.Julia Molony
"I think the biggest part of being a girl boss in the office, at home, or anywhere you go is just knowing your value," [Meghan] Markle says.Samantha Simon
Instead of changing the system, the girlboss just took on those traditional leadership roles and claimed the problem had been solved by the nature of her being there. But, by deeming her "girlboss" instead of just "boss," we kept her separate, somehow othered, in the workplace world that she'd become a part of.Abby Snyder
girlboss feminism
the girl-boss era
girlboss verb, transitive + intransitive
or less commonly girl-boss
girlbossed also girl-bossed; girlbossing also girl-bossing; girlbosses also girl-bosses
girlbossing her way towards greater authority … Abigail Nussbaum

Examples of girlboss in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In didn’t come out until 2013, but the girlboss was already in the ether. Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024 Divorce him, sis! Taken together, the comments feel almost like the next wave of girlboss or Lean In feminism, where instead of acting more like men in professional settings, women are viewing men as a hopeless cause, treating them the way patriarchy has treated women for eternity. Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Scratch a girlboss, find a monster is a common revelation in these shows. Judy Berman, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024 This passive-aggressive girlboss duel never rises to the level of actual dramatic stakes. Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Sep. 2024 Have a thoughtful Juneteenth. – After the girlboss. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 June 2024 Her defiance of these obstacles is dramatized on familiar girlboss terms, entangled with some strained agricultural metaphors. Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 July 2024 The broad idea of a girlboss is in need of reinvention, not a funeral—one that is cognizant of its drawbacks but acknowledges its power and the need for an alternative path. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 June 2024 John and Jane stay in the hotel room next door to their targets: billionaire girlboss Gavol Martin (Sharon Horgan) and her ex-pro-surfer husband Parker (Billy Campbell). Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2016, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of girlboss was in 2016

Dictionary Entries Near girlboss

Cite this Entry

“Girlboss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girlboss. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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