masculinity
Americannoun
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masculinities
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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anti-masculinitynoun
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hypermasculinitynoun
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nonmasculinitynoun
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pseudo-masculinitynoun
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supermasculinitynoun
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Explanation
Masculinity is the quality of manliness — habits and traits that society considers to be appropriate for a man. While certain jobs and professions have traditionally been associated with masculinity, like the military and firefighting, for example, these associations have begun to change as more women have pursued those types of careers. Some typical traits of masculinity include physical strength, a muscular body, and facial hair. The Latin root of masculinity is masculinus, "male," which comes from masculus, or "worthy of a male."
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:
Like the Tech Right, these men see noble masculinity as the solution to most of society’s ills.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
That makes them susceptible, however, to having their masculinity tested and questioned in dangerous ways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Bra Steve is the local organiser of Father A Nation, a non-profit that works with men and boys to promote positive masculinity and help end violence against women.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The film is directed by David Ayer, a purveyor of wild action flicks and ballads of masculinity; the screenplay is the debut effort of Cameron Alexander.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Being secure in your masculinity isn’t the same as being straight.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Ben Hurst from Beyond Equality, a UK-based organisation focused on "rethinking masculinities", speaks to young men in schools.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
There is not, for example, enough deep research on African American masculinities, Latino masculinities, poor masculinities or rural masculinities.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 3, 2023
We were all dressed in suits, and some of us who were more effeminate or more borderless in our construction of Black masculinities were put into this very respectable kind of presentation.
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
Because it’s in this melding of masculinities, in this synthesis of selves, that I can both fashion my future and make peace with my past.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 19, 2020
The boreal pivot, whose journal is the awful, compact blue, may, for aught I know, be hobnobbing at this moment with the most masculine of starry masculinities.
From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 1, July, 1863 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
