Transgender

From - + gender.

Full definition of transgender

(narrowly, of a person) Having a gender identity (self-image) which is the opposite of one's physical sex: being physically male but identifying as female, or vice versa. Compare transsexual, and the following sense.

2010, Jessica Green, "I'm sorry, I'm not lesbian", The Guardian, 3 Mar 2010:One head of a small gay charity visibly flinched when I mentioned my boyfriend and has been cold towards me ever since. I've even caught someone staring down my top to see if I'm transgender.
2010, Natasha Lennard, "City Room", New York Times, 7 Apr 2010:But the inclusion of the word â€œtrannieâ€ â€” a pejorative, in some circles â€” in the title, and the filmâ€™s parodic representation of transgender women, has offended many people.

(broadly, of a person) Not identifying with culturally conventional gender roles and categories of male or female; having changed gender identity from male to female or female to male, or identifying with elements of both, or having some other gender identity. Compare transsexual, transvestite and genderqueer.

1992, I think the new punk rockers are going to be more androgynous, more bisexual, more transgender, more ethnically diverse and less willing to take shit than ...
1998, John Cloud, "Trans across America", Time, 20 Feb 1998:Their first step was to reclaim the power to name themselves: transgender is now the term most widely used, and it encompasses everyone from cross-dressers (those who dress in clothes of the opposite sex) to transsexuals (those who surgically "correct" their genitals to match their "real" gender).

(usually uncountable; plural transgenders)

(now rare) Transgenderism; the state of being transgender. Compare transsex.

2007, Alison Stone, An Introduction to Feminist Philosophy (ISBN 074563883X), page 41Before we can answer this question, we need to consider two other phenomena â€“ transsex and transgender â€“ which also expose the muddle within conventional categories of sex.

2005, Walter Bockting & Eric Avery, Transgender Health and HIV Prevention, p. 116:In a patriarchal society in which machismo rules, MTF transgenders represent a challenge to traditional masculinity due to their renouncing of the male position of social power.
2006, Jayne Caudwell, Sport, Sexualities and Queer/theory, p. 122:Individual transgenders could compete in any division; however, transgender teams could not play against biological women's teams.

See the usage note at transsexual regarding the use of this type of word as a noun.

To change the gender of; (used loosely) to change the sex of. Compare transsex.