misandrist

American  

[mis-an-dreest] / ˈmɪs ænˌdrist /

noun

1. someone, especially a woman, who hates, dislikes, or mistrusts men.

   Mainstream feminists are not misandrists; they seek equal rights for men and women on the basis that all genders have the ability and the right to lead self-determining lives.

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adjective

1. showing a hatred, dislike, or mistrust of men.

   The allegedly misandrist attitude of the administration is causing discipline problems with the male students.

Etymology

Origin of misandrist

First recorded in 1950–55; misandr(y) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Explanation

If your cat hisses at and scratches every single man she encounters, you may be tempted to describe her as a misandrist, someone with a hatred of men. Anyone who has a powerful prejudice against men is a misandrist, a word that combines the Greek roots miso-, or "hatred," and andros, "men." The woman-hating equivalent, misogynist, is more widely used. Someone who criticizes men or attends a women's college may be accused of being a misandrist — but a true misandrist is hostile toward the entire human male population, a perspective that's quite uncommon.

Example Sentences

The novelist Chloé Delaume, a self-described misandrist, was awarded the prestigious Médicis Prize in November.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2021

Flanagan’s adaptation of King’s Gerald’s Game is an unrelentingly tense portrait of a woman preyed upon by men her entire life; it might make a misandrist out of you.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2020

The distilled sensibility of this joke—both feminist and working-class, misandrist and anti-elitist, cutting and self-effacing, principled and sloppy—would make it into the TV show Roseanne, with the addition of Barr’s famous cackle.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2018

Claire’s transformation into a stoic adversary of sexism is more than fully realized, but don’t confuse her for a misandrist.

From Time • Aug. 16, 2014

Opening up gyms to both sexes frees both sexes to decide for themselves how and when to best use the facilities. It’s not an evil misandrist conspiracy.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2013