mensch
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mensch
First recorded in 1910–15; from Yiddish mentsh “man, human being,” from Middle High German mensch ( German Mensch ), from Old High German mennisco, mannisco; see man, -ish 1
Explanation
A mensch is a good person, someone you really like and admire. Your neighbor who offers you a ride to work every time he notices that you've missed your bus again is a mensch. If you have a trusted friend or a reliable co-worker you can always count on, an informal word that describes them both is mensch. You might vote for the political candidate who seems the most like a mensch, or name your very favorite teacher and add, "She's a real mensch." The word comes from Yiddish, in which it means "a person of integrity and honor," from the German Mensch, or "person."
Vocabulary lists containing mensch
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:
He is a true mensch and is an asset to be cherished by The Times as well as all of us who love high school sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025
Filmmaker, activist and all-around mensch Michael Moore may dress like he's in goblin mode, but is decidedly not.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2022
A fast, smart problem solver and a total mensch, Manny soon assumes greater responsibility and becomes a studio executive, a straighter trajectory than either Jack or Nellie’s hairpin roads.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2022
“You’ve gotta say something,” Paul’s grandfather tells him in an earlier scene, urging him to stand up to bullies and be a mensch to those who need it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2022
This guy was really amazing; in addition to his tough mind, he was a real mensch.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
That’s a shame, because we could use more examples of broad-minded menschen like the Magi in this dismally dogmatic age of ours.
From Time ● Jan. 6, 2012
Mrs. Grannich laughed hysterically, was too overcome to speak in English, shouted: "Ich hob aruntergenummen die shich jar alle menschen?"
From Time Magazine Archive
Little tidbits like that keep interest going, and who doesn't want to be reminded that Lennon had a way with one-liners, or that Harrison and McCartney could be mensches?
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2020
After all, the immature boys who work at About the Fit are total mensches, even though they wear T-shirts and play video games.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2015
Of mensches and mitzvahs: Itzhak Perlman and cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot celebrate Jewish music both secular and sacred on a new "Great Performances."
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2014
They can be fathers and mensches; they don’t see themselves as bad guys, and we most often never see those few moments that would change our view of them.
From Time ● Jun. 5, 2014
In fact, it is their naiveté they have to shed in order to become the mensches we want them to be.
From Newsweek ● May 20, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
