masculine

[ mas-kyuh-lin ]

See synonyms for masculine on Thesaurus.com

adjective

pertaining to or characteristic of a man or men: masculine attire.
having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength and boldness.

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.”
(of a woman) mannish.

nounGrammar.

the masculine gender.
a noun or other element in or marking that gender.

Origin of masculine

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English masculin, from Latin masculīnus, equivalent to mascul(us) “male” (mās “male” + -culus -cule¹) + -īnus -ine¹

synonym study For masculine

2. See male.

Other words for masculine

manly

See synonyms for masculine on Thesaurus.com

Other words from masculine

mas·cu·line·ly, adverb
mas·cu·lin·i·ty, mas·cu·line·ness, noun
hy·per·mas·cu·line, adjective
hy·per·mas·cu·line·ly, adverb
hy·per·mas·cu·line·ness, noun
hy·per·mas·cu·lin·i·ty, noun
non·mas·cu·line, adjective
non·mas·cu·line·ly, adverb
non·mas·cu·line·ness, noun
non·mas·cu·lin·i·ty, noun
pseu·do·mas·cu·line, adjective
su·per·mas·cu·line, adjective
su·per·mas·cu·lin·i·ty, noun
ul·tra·mas·cu·line, adjective
un·mas·cu·line, adjective
un·mas·cu·line·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with masculine

male, masculine , macho (see synonym study at male)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use masculine in a sentence

A more rugged version of American masculinity is hard to find on screen.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
What does masculinity look like in a world where men and women alike can be titans?
Men Need A Better Men’s Rights Movement | Nancy Kaffer | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
However the American sexual ideal is intimately related to a certain idea of masculinity.
Living Black & Gay in the ’50s | Alain Mabanckou | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We are looking the same, acting the same, and mimicking masculinity the same.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’ | Tim Teeman | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In other words, another treatise on masculinity from Pizzolatto.
Alright ‘True Detective,’ You Got Me: Taylor Kitsch Is a Woman’s Man | Teo Bugbee | November 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Breezy freshness, strong masculinity, and almost reckless abandon in the literary texture and dramatic inventions.
The Devourers | Annie Vivanti Chartres
In spite of her aggressive masculinity, she is somehow made in her way really attractive.
The Mermaid Series. Edited by H. Ellis. The best plays of the old dramatists. Thomas Dekker. Edited, with an introduction and notes by Ernest Rhys. | Thomas Dekker
She stared without speaking at his square face, fierce with determination—at his roused, dominating masculinity.
To Him That Hath | Leroy Scott
Whistling merrily he strode on into the dim cool bar, with its heavy brown fixtures and solid atmosphere of masculinity.
Death Makes A Mistake | P.F. Costello
She preferred masculinity sublimated, so to speak—purified by the processes of art.
Gray youth | Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for masculine

masculine

/ (ˈmæskjʊlɪn) /

adjective

possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man; manly
unwomanly

grammar
- denoting a gender of nouns, occurring in many inflected languages, that includes all kinds of referents as well as some male animate referents
- (as noun): German ``Weg'' is a masculine

Origin of masculine

C14: via French from Latin masculīnus, from masculus male, from mās a male

Derived forms of masculine

masculinely, adverb
masculinity or rare masculineness, noun

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

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