Mencken

American

[meng-kuhn] / ˈmɛŋ kən /

noun

H(enry) L(ouis), 1880–1956, U.S. writer, editor, and critic.

Mencken British

/ ˈmɛŋkən /

noun

H ( enry ) L ( ouis ). 1880–1956, US journalist and literary critic, noted for The American Language (1919): editor of the Smart Set and the American Mercury, which he founded (1924)

"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

Other Word Forms

Menckenian

adjective

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:

Mencken

Mencken wrote, “is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Mencken said that “democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Mencken remarked on the politician who had some cannibals among his constituents that “he would promise them missionaries for dinner.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

Mencken once said, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2024

Who were these men about whom Mencken was talking so passionately?

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023