noun
vixen
VIHK-suhn
noun
1
A female fox.
"The vixen led her cubs back to the den at dusk."
2
An informal, often dated term for a fierce, quarrelsome, or sharp-tongued woman.
"She played a scheming vixen in the soap opera."
How to Use Vixen
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA female fox, or (informally) a bold, feisty woman.
When to use it
The "feisty woman" sense is informal and can carry either a playful or a negative tone depending on context.
Common pairings
sly vixen
Word Forms
vixens plural
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Etymology
From Middle English fixen, ultimately from Old English fyxen, "female fox" — the fox/vixen -f/v- swap comes from southern English dialects.