Misogyny is a negative attitude towards women as a group, and so need not fully determine a misogynist’s attitude towards each individual woman. The fact that someone holds misogynist views may not prevent him or her from having positive relationships with some women. Conversely, simply having negative relationships with some women does not necessarily mean someone  holds misogynistic view. The term, like most negative descriptions of attitudes is used as an epithet and applied to a wide variety of behaviors and attitudes. Misogyny is an exaggerated pathological aversion towards women.

Compare with anti-women sexism. Misogyny is usually regarded as directed against women by some men, but women can also harbor misogynistic views.  In feminist theory, misogyny is recognized as a political ideology similar to racism or anti-Semitism, existing to justify and reproduce the subordination of women by men. There are many different forms of misogyny. In its most overt expression a misogynist will openly hate all women, and will hurt people simply because they are female. Some rapists and sexual predators fall into this category.