machismo

[mah-cheez-moh, -chiz-, muh-]

See more synonyms for machismo on Thesaurus.com

noun

a strong or exaggerated sense of manliness; an assumptive attitude that virility, courage, strength, and entitlement to dominate are attributes or concomitants of masculinity.
a strong or exaggerated sense of power or the right to dominate: The military campaign was an exercise in national machismo.

Origin of machismo

1945–50, Americanism < Spanish see macho, -ism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for machismo

macho, male, manliness, masculine, mannish, muscular, virile, manful

Examples from the Web for machismo

Contemporary Examples of machismo

The machismo of Afghan male culture apparently coexists with a little-noted passion for gardening.
Afghanistan, We Hardly Knew You
Jonathan Foreman
December 8, 2014
Violence against women continues to plague Turkey, and a pioneering new female political party blames Erdogan's machismo.
Turkey’s Rampant Domestic Violence Problem
Emily Feldman
July 18, 2014
But what I hear about the role of women is often inspired by an ideology of machismo.
The Secret Pope Francis Haters
Barbie Latza Nadeau
March 11, 2014
She talked about being a woman in a minority where "the machismo of the Sabra"—a native-born Israeli—is still supreme.
Will Women MKs Lead The New Israel?
Paul Usiskin
March 18, 2013
It was the age of unbridled excess, avarice, and machismo gone haywire.
Punk Rock-Feminist Pioneer Kathleen Hanna on Her SXSW Doc and More
Marlow Stern
March 13, 2013

Historical Examples of machismo

Machismo was more meaningful to the average estate than education.
The Haciendas of Mexico
Paul Alexander Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for machismo

machismo

noun

exaggerated masculine pride

Word Origin for machismo

Mexican Spanish, from Spanish macho male, from Latin masculus masculine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for machismo

1940, from American Spanish machismo, from Spanish macho "male" (see macho) + ismo (see -ism).