as in maleness
the set of qualities considered appropriate for or characteristic of men some men believe that wearing pink would undermine their masculinity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of masculinity In our conversation before the collection, Siriano ruminated on the shape of the handle of a vehicle being a direct representation of masculinity. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 8 Feb. 2025 Within this uniformity lay a subtle nod to masculinity in a stern, unchanging form, blending seamlessly into its surroundings, acting as a permanent fixture; a mountain within the forest. Cassell Ferere, Forbes, 4 Feb. 2025 The parody subtly addressed themes of masculinity and emotional expression. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 The better, more-daring version of Get Hard would scuttle political correctness, gay panic, and outmoded ideas about what constitutes masculinity. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for masculinity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masculinity
Noun
  • Tadashi Nakamura also tried to assimilate by playing football and trying to become the embodiment of all-American manhood.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
  • Brian rants on about the pressures of manhood, and Melissa ruminates about feeling put down by their mother as Brian looks down from his pedestal.
    Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • This revelation reframes much of the earlier novel, from his paranoia to his discomfort in stiff formal clothing to his father’s obsession with manliness.
    Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
  • But there are challenges for shifting diets toward less beef, from misinformation about soy and protein, to social stigmas connecting beef-eating with manliness.
    Julia Simon, NPR, 15 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • Tom Cruise, that avatar of all-American virility, opened the evening with an address that reaffirmed the rightness of the proceedings, much as Peck had in 1968.
    Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Managers no longer have two sartorial choices — polyester sportswear to denote virility and dynamism and suit and tie to convey sombre authority — but have branched out into turtlenecks, quarter-zips, and merino wool sweaters, the wardrobe of the TEDx talk.
    Rory Smith, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Lynch spent his years making films that seeded purity with malignancy, machismo with vulnerability, teenage love with mythic importance.
    Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 Jan. 2025
  • The first of them holds all of the story’s promise, as a tense prologue introduces us to a pre-teen kid named Blake, whose military-like father (Sam Jaeger, all menacing toxic machismo) is hell-bent upon teaching his son how to survive the world on his own.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Jan. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Masculinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masculinity. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on masculinity

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!