playboy

American  

[pley-boi] / ˈpleɪˌbɔɪ /

noun

playboys plural

1. a man who pursues a life of pleasure without responsibility or attachments, especially one who is of comfortable means.

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playboy British  

/ ˈpleɪˌbɔɪ /

noun

1. a man, esp one of private means, who devotes himself to the pleasures of nightclubs, expensive holiday resorts, female company, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• playboys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of playboy

First recorded in 1620–30; play + boy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

playboy playboys

Mr. Hamm, who finally shows up late in the movie, has an equally good time in the opposite direction, recreating himself as a supercilious playboy lounging around in a bathrobe all day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Jarvis, the fictional AI from Marvel, was once known for helping billionaire playboy turned superhero Tony Stark save the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025

Five years later, she enthralls Majnoo, the playboy son of billionaire parents, and the pair go on to have a spectacular wedding.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2025

But since he was a young man, he has been obsessed with creating a macho image, inventing the persona of a high-flying playboy and king of the New York real estate world.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2025

Todd had always been, to Zeitoun’s mind, a bit of a wanderer, something of a playboy.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Paul was “one of the most gregarious playboys in New York City,” according to biographer Frank Brady, author of “The Publisher,” and Paul and William Randolph Hearst were regulars at New York nightclubs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

It’s a release created in SEO heaven: three of the buzziest playboys in music record a song and name it after one of the hottest genres in the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

Until his social media ban, Tate was operating something called Hustler University, which promised, for $49 a month, to turn his audience into rich playboys, as he presents himself to be.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2022

It was in the early years after he left the White House that his friendships with wealthy playboys became tabloid fodder.

From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2016

He worships the vuvv playboys he works for.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson