mansplain

American  

[man-spleyn] / ˈmænˌspleɪn /

verb (used with or without object)

1. (of a man) to explain something to a woman in a condescending, overconfident, and often inaccurate or oversimplified manner, typically to a woman already knowledgeable about the topic.

   He was mansplaining to her about female friendships!

2. to explain something to someone in such a way.

   I know some women who are guilty of mansplaining, and even some men who mansplain patriarchy as a historical force for good.

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noun

1. Also called mansplanation.  such an explanation given to someone.

Usage

What else does mansplain mean? To mansplain is for a man to explain something to a woman in a condescending manner, particularly when the woman is an expert in the subject.

Other Word Forms

• mansplainer noun

Etymology

Origin of mansplain

First recorded in 2005–10; man + 'splain

Explanation

When a man explains something to a woman in a way that makes it clear he thinks she's less knowledgeable or intelligent than he is, it's mansplaining. In most cases of mansplaining, the person receiving the condescending explanation didn't ask the man to explain anything in the first place; he just assumed he knew more about the subject. It would be especially frustrating to have a driver pull over as you changed your flat tire and mansplain a better way to do it — especially if you'd worked as a car mechanic for years. Mansplain was coined from man and explain in the early 2000s.

Example Sentences

The senior Labour figure described the prime minister as being in "listening mode" and described him as a "feminist ally" who did not want to "mansplain".

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

“The one thing I learned doing this movie is don’t mansplain motherhood,” actor Scoot McNairy said onstage after Saturday’s world premiere of “Nightbitch” at the Toronto International Film Festival.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024

He’s a good uncle to my kids and I was close with him when I was younger, but whenever we talk these days, he just wants to mansplain my life to me.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2021

The comedian Jen Kirkman says in the foreword: “If you’re a dude, you may be tensing up right now and wanting to put this book down and tweet at Nicole, ‘Not all men mansplain!’

From The Guardian • Aug. 18, 2020

The sequence in which her benefactor attempts to mansplain the principle of compound interest is a small gem of verbal fencing.

From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2018