ze
Americanpronoun
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the person being discussed or last mentioned (used as a neopronoun in place of the gendered pronouns he andshe ).
My friend didn't want to go to the party, but ze got up and danced when hir favorite song came on!
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Rare. a generic or unspecified person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context (used as a neopronoun).
If any employee has questions, ze should contact HR.
Gender
Gender-neutral pronouns were proposed as far back as the mid-1800s, especially in connection with progressive ideas about women’s rights. More recently, the coinage and use of ze and other gender-neutral pronouns has been motivated by discussions about gender identity. Some individuals, such as nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming people, feel uncomfortable being referred to as he or she. Even so, use of ze as a gender-neutral singular third-person pronoun is quite limited, partly because of a general resistance to replacing English pronouns. Pronouns belong to a small, closed class of words whose membership is relatively fixed. See also they.
Etymology
Origin of ze
First recorded in 1970–75; based on the German pronoun sie
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When, at the play’s end, ze approaches hir helpless father with a gesture of care, “Hir” dares to hope that truly radical change may yet walk hand in hand with tenderness.
From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2023
Blijkbaar lijken ze meer op deze robbensoort dan wij dachten.
From Washington Post • Aug. 14, 2022
After graduating in 2007, Bold ended up in Minneapolis, working what ze called a "deadening job."
From Salon • Oct. 30, 2021
If you’re a big video game industry executive, would you perhaps consider not firing ze copyright missiles?
From The Verge • Jul. 25, 2021
“For ze wedding,” she added, when he looked confused.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
