virago
noun
-ˈrā-
Did you know?
The original Latin meaning of virago was "female warrior". But in later centuries the meaning shifted toward the negative. The most famous virago in English literature is the ferocious Kate in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Some historical viragoes have also become famous. Agrippina poisoned her husband, the Emperor Claudius, so that her son Nero could take his place (but it was Nero himself who eventually had her assassinated). And Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, a powerful virago of the 12th century, was imprisoned by her husband, King Henry II of England, after she encouraged their sons to rebel against him. Today some people are beginning to use virago admiringly again.
Examples of virago in a Sentence
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Aug. 2023
Meredith is a stereotypical virago updated with modern libertarian notions.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2023
Despite the work’s title, Dejanira is the one who dominates the action, evolving through seven arias from impatient wife to imperious virago to despairing murderer.
—Christopher Corwin, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2020
Their mother, Lucy, who had abandoned the family for a freer life and left the children with her husband, is a raging virago crushed by guilt (Mamie Gummer in an impressive performance).
—Dorothy Rabinowitz, WSJ, 10 Jan. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Virago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virago. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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