mountain man

American  

noun

1. mountaineer.

2. a man who lives and works in the mountains or wilderness, especially a frontiersman or pioneer, as in the early American West.

---

Etymology

Origin of mountain man

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

Ethan Dexter looks like a mountain man hunk, but in his private life, he’s lost in the wilderness when it comes to women.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025

A mountain man talk talks about surviving the outdoors in an ad that stars singer Sarah McLachlan spoofing her well-known and oft mocked animal-advocacy ad that uses her song “Angel.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2023

During the pandemic, he has traded his Washington-based policy wonk look with a trimmed beard and buzzed hair for a shaggier and scruffier look to fit a Colorado mountain man.

From Washington Post • Jan. 8, 2021

Unless the look you’re going for is unkempt mountain man — which, OK, anything goes these days — beard care takes time and effort.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2020

“Bryson, you old mountain man, you’re a welcome sight. Where have you been?”

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson