masculine
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or characteristic of a man or men.
masculine attire.
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having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength and boldness.
- Synonyms:
- manly
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Grammar. noting or pertaining to the gender of Latin, Greek, German, French, Spanish, Hebrew, etc., which has among its members most nouns referring to males, as well as other nouns, as Spanish dedo, “finger,” German Bleistift, “pencil.”
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(of a woman) mannish.
noun
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the masculine gender.
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a noun or other element in or marking that gender.
adjective
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possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man; manly
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unwomanly
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grammar
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denoting a gender of nouns, occurring in many inflected languages, that includes all kinds of referents as well as some male animate referents
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( as noun )
German ``Weg'' is a masculine
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Related Words
See male.
Other Word Forms
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hypermasculineadjective
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hypermasculinelyadverb
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hypermasculinenessnoun
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hypermasculinitynoun
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masculinelyadverb
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masculinenessnoun
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masculinitynoun
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nonmasculineadjective
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nonmasculinelyadverb
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nonmasculinenessnoun
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nonmasculinitynoun
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pseudomasculineadjective
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supermasculineadjective
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supermasculinitynoun
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ultramasculineadjective
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unmasculineadjective
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unmasculinelyadverb
Etymology
Origin of masculine
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English masculin, from Latin masculīnus, equivalent to mascul(us) “male” ( mās “male” + -culus -cule 1 ) + -īnus -ine 1
Explanation
If something’s masculine, it’s related to men. When you hear a masculine voice outside greeting your neighbor, you know it’s your dad and not your mom. Masculine can describe people or things that have qualities often associated with men. If someone has a masculine appearance, the person is probably tall and strong. If your new jacket has masculine tailoring, that means it’s cut like a man’s jacket. Masculine can also refer to words. In many languages, words — especially nouns — are given a gender. If you’ve studied French or Spanish, you know you need to figure out which article to use with a masculine noun.
Vocabulary lists containing masculine
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.
Masculine societies promote competitiveness, achievement and differentiated gender roles.
From Scientific American • Nov. 2, 2023
Masculine self-alienation transforms into something that looks more like closeted queerness and body dysphoria.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2023
While enrolled at INSEP, Hamon-Crespin competed with Pole France of Nationale Masculine 1 — the third-tier of professional play in the country.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2022
Next to the chain were books on male dominance in society such as Rebecca Sonit's "Men Explain Things to Me" and Pierre Bourdieu's "Masculine Domination".
From Reuters • Feb. 21, 2022
Masculine attire at the present day, though simple and practical, has few points of beauty to recommend it.
From The Evolution of Fashion by Gardiner, Florence Mary
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
