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hegemonic masculinity

American  
[hej-uh-mon-ik mas-kyuh-lin-i-tee] / ˌhɛdʒ əˈmɒn ɪk ˌmæs kjəˈlɪn ɪ ti /

noun

  1. a socially constructed masculine ideal, defined chiefly in contrast to or as the opposite of femininity, and held up as the most prestigious form of manliness in a heteropatriarchy.


Etymology

Origin of hegemonic masculinity

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Otherwise, that internal sense of masculinity, felt as “I know it when I see it” and framed within the impossible ideal of hegemonic masculinity, means the siren of crisis always beckons.

From Scientific American Aug. 3, 2023

“It arises when agents of hegemonic masculinity feel threatened or undermined, thereby needing to inflate, exaggerate, or otherwise distort their traditional masculinity.”

From The Verge Jan. 6, 2021

Esquire, like its newsstand brother GQ, is no less enamored of hegemonic masculinity, but goes about it in a more self-consciously chummy, upwardly-mobile way.

From Salon Oct. 15, 2014

DiGRA had recently held a retreat for Silverstring members on dismantling hegemonic masculinity.

From Forbes Oct. 13, 2014

“Our study supports the view that hegemonic masculinity is a learned set of beliefs and suggests that early to middle adolescence is a critical development time frame for learning masculinity,” the researchers conclude.

From Time Jul. 16, 2014

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