Hormonal, drama queen and bitchy are the commonly used unflattering words and phrases women would most like to ban, according to a survey.

Ball-breaker and mumsy also make the top 10 descriptions deemed derogatory which women want scrapped from everyday language.

A poll of more than 2,000 women carried out as part of a campaign by cereal brand Special K found ladies are tired of being labelled hysterical and high-maintenance.

They would prefer to see more inspiring terms such as confident, resilient and courageous used to describe women.

Forty per cent of respondents said they feel patronised by remarks such as ‘honey’ or ‘gorgeous’ from male colleagues.

A third of young women (16-24 years old) said they have been told to ‘man up’ in the workplace.

And nearly a third of the women questioned said they had been described as a flirt or show-off for being confident growing up – with 30 per cent admitting this had affected their self-esteem later on in life.

Babe and bird are among the most hated pet names for women, according to those polled.

News Shopper:

Photo: Special K

Campaign ambassador and former Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts said: “It is a strange thing that in a modern society we still have room for language that holds strong women back.

“It is very important young women in society grow up learning that you are not a ‘ball-breaker’ if you are successful – you are simply a strong woman succeeding.

“Or don’t allow themselves to be referred to as anything other than who they are in a professional setting.”

News Shopper:

Photo: Special K

Top 20 words women would ban:

  1. 1. Hormonal
  2. 2. Drama queen
  3. 3. Bitchy
  4. 4. High-maintenance
  5. 5. Hysterical
  6. 6. Ball-breaker
  7. 7. Diva
  8. 8. Highly-strung
  9. 9. Mumsy
  10. 10. Princess
  11. 11. Attention-seeking
  12. 12. Emotional
  13. 13. Manipulative
  14. 14. Bossy
  15. 15. Controlling
  16. 16. Difficult
  17. 17. Sexy
  18. 18. Aggressive
  19. 19. Sassy
  20. 20. Feisty

Top 5 pet names women want banned:

  1. 1. Bird
  2. 2. Doll
  3. 3. Chick
  4. 4. Babe
  5. 5. Queen Bee

What do you think of the survey's findings? Are you a woman who gets upset by any of the words mentioned or offended by so-called terms of endearment? Are you a man who's confused about what you can and can't say? Add your comments below.