"I don't know that there is one answer," she told the Women in the World Summit in New York when asked why she thought she lost the white women's vote to a Republican who had boasted of groping women.
"Certainly misogyny played a role, I mean that just has to be admitted," added the former first lady and New York senator, who was treated to an ecstatic welcome and standing ovation from the crowd.
"I think in this election there was a very real struggle between what is viewed as change that is welcomed and exciting to so many Americans and change which is worrisome and threatening to so many others.
"And layer on the first woman president over that and I think some people, women included, had real problems," she said in her first interview since her loss, speaking to a New York Times journalist at the women's empowerment event held each year in Manhattan.
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Clinton 'ready to come out of the woods'
The vastly experienced Clinton won the popular vote, but lost the crucial electoral college to the real estate tycoon who had never previously held public office.
Having dreamt for years of making history to become the United States's first woman president, Clinton admitted that the aftermath of the election had been "so devastating."
She slammed Russian interference in the election as "an act of aggression," warned Moscow was capable of repeating it and called for a bipartisan US commitment to make sure it did not happen again.
But the 69-year-old also said she had no plans to run for office again.
"I am looking at doing interesting things, I don't think that will include ever running for office again," she told the audience.
"I am really focused on just doing some things that I think I can help make a difference with, like this supporting of young people and getting more women into politics, and I very much want to help Democrats take back the Congress," she said to cheers.
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