Vixen literally refers to a female fox, but it has two very distinctive extended meanings: “a shrew” and “a sexy woman.” How is it that the word took such semantically divergent paths? The “combative, bad-tempered woman” sense has a very long history in our language, going back as far as the 16th century and extending well into the ... A vixen is a female fox. Or it can be a woman with a temper. If you really want to insult a woman who is a little short on patience, call her a vixen. She won’t like it. The word “vixen” has many meanings and uses in different contexts. Explore the etymology, pronunciation, and usage of this word. vixen (plural vixens) A female fox. synonyms Synonyms: she-fox (rare), foxess (rare) A malicious, quarrelsome or temperamental woman. synonym quotations Synonyms: see Thesaurus: shrew
