Malicious, catty, or spiteful behavior; act of being mean-spirited, petty, or nasty in a calculated way.
From 'bitch' plus the suffix '-ery' (Old French -erie, indicating a practice, place, or behavior). Emerged in late 20th century slang to describe interpersonal meanness.
The coining of 'bitchery' as a word shows how language evolves to name new social problems—in this case, capturing the particular flavor of indirect, socially-coded aggression rather than open hostility.
Nominalization of gendered slur; emerged as a way to categorize and dismiss feminized behavior/speech as a unified negative category. Used to delegitimize women's advocacy or complaint.
Avoid. Replace with specific, respectful descriptors of actual behavior or problem.
["difficulty","complication","contention","challenge"]
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