mensch

American  

[mench] / mɛntʃ /

noun

Informal.

menschen, plural mensches plural

1. a decent, upright, mature, and responsible person.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• mensches
  plural
• menschen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mensch

First recorded in 1910–15; from Yiddish mentsh “man, human being,” from Middle High German mensch ( German Mensch ), from Old High German mennisco, mannisco; see man, -ish ¹

Explanation

A mensch is a good person, someone you really like and admire. Your neighbor who offers you a ride to work every time he notices that you've missed your bus again is a mensch. If you have a trusted friend or a reliable co-worker you can always count on, an informal word that describes them both is mensch. You might vote for the political candidate who seems the most like a mensch, or name your very favorite teacher and add, "She's a real mensch." The word comes from Yiddish, in which it means "a person of integrity and honor," from the German Mensch, or "person."

Example Sentences

"Our responsibility is of course to choose who we work with," Mensch acknowledged, while guaranteeing "total sovereignty over weapons operation."

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

“As long as we have adversaries that are threatening, we do need to have our own capabilities,” Mensch said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

"Everyone needs to have cybersecurity systems that can defend against attackers who are themselves equipped with AI," Mensch said.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

Mistral AI Chief Executive Arthur Mensch stated that the biggest obstacle to European tech independence is the scale of necessary investment.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

These reflections, which have often involuntarily forced themselves on me, suddenly remind me of an expression I once heard Papa quote from some German philosopher, I think Hegel: 'Der Mensch ist das Werkzeug der Natur.'

From The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton Volume I by Barrington, Mrs. Russell