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Women's Rights

What does 'feminism' mean? Merriam-Webster says ...

Jessica Estepa
USA TODAY

Looks like the dictionary is at it again.

Merriam-Webster on Thursday tweeted the definition of feminism: "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities."

Why?

Because earlier that morning at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said being a feminist in the "classic sense" meant being "very anti-male" and "very pro-abortion." She then gave her own definition of the word:

"There's an individual feminism, if you will, that you make your own choices ... I look at myself as a product of my choices, not a victim of my circumstances. That's really to me what conservative feminism, if you will, is all about."

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According to Merriam-Webster, the number of people looking up the definition of "feminism" spiked after Conway mentioned it.

The dictionary also noted that "feminism" became a word in 1895, a time of political organizing for women's equality that would eventually lead to women's suffrage.

This isn't the first time Merriam-Webster and Conway have tussled. Never forget the Great Alternative Facts Schooling of January.

At CPAC, Conway spent some of her speaking time offering other words of women wisdom, encouraging girls to become the first female president of the United States and to improvise on a bit from When Harry Met Sally when it comes to asking for equal pay ("I'll have what he's having").

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