Mencken

American  

[meng-kuhn] / ˈmɛŋ kən /

noun

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

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Mencken British  

/ ˈmɛŋkən /

noun

1. 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)

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Other Word Forms

• Menckenian adjective

Example Sentences

The problem, as Mencken implied, is that voters don’t really want their wishes fulfilled “good and hard.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Mencken, as the first president to install a bathtub in the White House.

From Salon

In 1956, shortly before his death, Mencken went even further; “American journalism is predominantly paltry and worthless. Its pretensions are enormous, but its achievements are insignificant.”

From Salon

Mencken, slipped supinely into the estate and dignity of a golf player.

From Salon

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