Slang dictionary
alpha female
[al-fuh fee-meyl]
What does alpha female mean?
An alpha female is a powerful and successful woman, often in a leadership role. Alpha females are often described as intimidating by men and women alike.
Where does alpha female come from?
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. The term began to refer to the first in a series or a group, both literally and metaphorically, since the 1300s. It was as early as the late 1870s when scientists began using the terms alpha male and alpha female to refer to the leaders of a group of animals. The term has been metaphorically applied to socially dominant men since the 1970s and similar women since at least the 1990s. In the 1990s, alpha female was mostly used with regard to women in sociological or scientific contexts. People writing about the way humans interact in communities would use alpha female as shorthand for the de facto leader in a female social hierarchy.
In the early 2000s, the phrase alpha female began to take on more cultural significance. As early as 2001, female trailblazers in their respective fields were called alpha females. In this sense, the term was a positive one, but at the same time, alpha females could also deride the catty, most popular girl in the middle-school lunchroom, say, or the bullish executive in the boardroom. The stereotypical image of an alpha female from this time puts her in a power-suit and sky-high heels, hair and makeup done, with perfect hair, confidence, and an executive-level job. During the early 2000s, it was this negative connotation of the alpha female as spiteful, intimidating, overbearing, and bossy that caught on and defined the stereotype.
Google searches for alpha female spiked in February, 2014 and April, 2015, coinciding with important moments in the career of German professional wrestler Marie Kristin Gabert, who took the stage name Alpha Female during those years.
Examples of alpha female
Who uses alpha female?
Today, use of the term alpha female is complex and often comes with a double standard. It carries with it the overtones of animalistic hierarchy from which the term originated, which is traditionally not flattering to women described as alpha females. In fact, much conversation around the alpha female is about men being intimidated by her and women hating her—or being scared that she hates them.
On the other hand, many women increasingly and proudly identify as alpha females. They know what they want and are unafraid to advocate for themselves to achieve it. Alpha females are typically described as career-driven, physically attractive, and sexually empowered.
The term alpha female is often used in the context of dating. Articles and books describe the power struggle between alpha females and alpha or beta men—that is, submissive, subordinate men, which has supplied its counterpart, beta female. Dating advice focuses on what alpha females look for in relationships, how they expect to be treated, and where they can find men with whom they will be compatible. Common consensus among advice books and articles, for better or worse, seems to pair alpha females with beta men who will not get in their way.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of alpha female like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of alpha female that will help our users expand their word mastery.