People who identify as a gender different from their biological sex are now included in the definitions of “woman” and “man” in the Cambridge Dictionary.
“An adult who lives and identifies as a male even if they may have been said to have a different sex at birth” is now included in the definition of “man.”
A woman is now defined as “an adult who lives and identifies as female even if they may have been thought to have a different sex at birth” in the updated definition of the word.
However, the traditional conceptions that stated that sex and gender identity were inextricably linked remain in place.
The dictionary not only defined the word “man,” but it also included two instances to illustrate what it meant: “Steve is a trans man (= a man who was supposedly a woman when they were born)” and “their doctor recommended them to live as a man for a period before undergoing surgical transition.”
The examples for “Woman” are “Jules is a woman who was assigned male at birth” and “She was the first trans woman elected to a national office.”
According to a Cambridge Dictionary representative, “Our editors made this addition to the entry for women in October. They carefully studied usage patterns of the word woman and concluded that this definition is one that learners of English should be aware of to support their understanding of how the language is used. The first definition at the entry for woman remains unchanged and continues to be ‘an adult female human being.”
The updated definitions, which were made in October, are currently facing backlash on social media. A user commented, “The Cambridge Dictionary just changed the definition of “woman.” Remember, if you can control the language, you can control the population.”
Another user wrote, “F-ing traitors to the truth. Cambridge Dictionary is only the latest. If we don’t stop them from erasing women our civilization is ngmi.”