These words refer to qualities that ideally or appropriately pertain to women. Feminine may carry a factual tone in indicating what pertains to women in general: the common feminine aversion towards violence in any form. The tone of the word changes drastically when it is used to evaluate the degree to which a woman possesses characteristics thought to be the ideal attainments of women; in this case it is strongly positive: a hostess unashamedly feminine in her ability to put people at ease. When applied to men, the word carries a negative tone: advertising campaigns that encourage men to take a rather feminine interest in after shave lotions and hair preparations; a man with an unfortunately feminine build.

Female may be used in simple classification, applying to any species with sexual polarization: a female gorilla; magazines that complete for the female market. Outside of factual classification, the word sounds flatfootedly brusque, if not derogatory, and often carries an emphasis on distinctive biological functions: arguing that her fears were just to much female silliness; advertisements that are supposedly discreet in referring to "female troubles." By contrast, womanly is wholly positive in restricting itself to desirable feminine qualities in women: dresses that showed off to advantage her lithe, womanly body. Changing cultural values have influenced the word: Victorians might have referred approvingly to a woman’s shyness or self-effacement as womanly . Now, by contrast, the word is often used with a new frankness to refer favourably to sexual attractiveness or capability in women: wives who are unafraid of expressing a natural and womanly desire for their husbands. Thus, the word is comparable not only to manly , but has expanded to compare as well with virile (for which no corresponding female term exists ?as though this area of concern were absent in women.)

The remaining words all tend towards the pejorative in their different ways. Ladylike was once wholly favourable and may still be so used: teaching the girls in her charge how to behave in ladylike fashion. More often now, however, the word indicates over-haughty or prissy behaviour in women: too ladylike to dream of working her way though university; career women who think it no betrayal of their feminine natures to dispense with any ladylike insistence on special treatment. The word is, of course, extremely derogatory in its rare use to describe a man’s behaviour: his comical, ladylike way of mincing at every step. Womanish applies disapprovingly to both men and women: his womanish habit of throwing up his hands whenever the office routine got the least bit hectic; breaking down into womanish fits of weeping at any imagined slight from her husband. Effeminate , by contrast, applies exclusively to men in a disapproving way; it may refer to physical or mental characteristics as well as behaviour, unlike ladylike in this context: a man with an effeminate physique; an effeminate lisp that made him difficult to listen to. Feminine in this context compares to effeminate by having a more factually descriptive tone: The longer, more feminine hair styles of male singers are no longer regarded as effeminate.