Macquarie Dictionary reviews definitions of 'man' and 'woman'

This follows Cambridge Dictionary quietly updating its definitions to include anyone who 'identifies as male/female' regardless of their sex at birth. 

This follows Cambridge Dictionary quietly updating its definitions to include anyone who "identifies as male/female" regardless of their sex at birth. 

The editors of the Macquarie Dictionary are considering the definitions of "man" and "woman" in light of shifting modern usage.

It comes after the Cambridge Dictionary quietly updated its definition of "man" and "woman" to include anyone who "identifies as male/female" regardless of their sex at birth. 

A spokesperson for Macquarie Dictionary said "the editors are looking at ensuring the entries for woman and man are reflective of Australian English usage" as well as various related terms, including female, male, girl, and boy.

They added while "Cambridge is predominantly concerned with providing a reference for learners of English ... Macquarie seeks to describe Australian English as it is used in the community".

"To fulfil these goals, both dictionaries need to examine a range of different texts, from academic works to social media, from fiction to news reports, and beyond.

"Our intention is to have any necessary changes made to these entries by the update in mid-2023." Macquarie updates words twice yearly, according to their website.

The current Macquaire Dictionary definitions of "man" include "the human species", "the human race",  "a male human being (distinguished from woman)" and "an adult male person (distinguished from boy)", while the definitions for "woman" are "a female human being (distinguished from man)" and "an adult female person (distinguished from girl)".

When asked if the definitions of "man" and "woman" would be broadened to include those who "lives and identifies as male/female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth" as Cambridge did, the spokesperson said, "that is certainly part of what we're looking at".

The spokesperson said, however, they were not yet in a position to discuss any specific changes that may be made next year.

The Macquarie Dictionary currently defines "female" as "belonging to the sex which brings forth young, or any division or group corresponding to it" and "of or relating to the types of humans or animals which, in the normal case, produce ova which can be fertilised by male spermatozoa".

When the Telegraph UK revealed the Cambridge Dictionary changes last week, a spokesperson told them they had "carefully studied usage patterns of the word 'woman' and concluded the definition is one that learners of English should be aware of to support their understanding of how the language is used".

It follows various dictionaries updating definitions to keep up with modern usage.

In 2020, Merriam-Webster included an additional definition for "female" as "having a gender identity that is the opposite of male".

The Oxford dictionary also altered its definition of "woman" to include they could be "a person’s wife, girlfriend, or female lover”, not only a man’s, to be inclusive of same-sex relationships. The entry for "man" was also changed to include gender-neutral language in the example of a relationship.