Definition of masculinitynext
as in maleness
the set of qualities considered appropriate for or characteristic of men some men believe that wearing pink would undermine their masculinity

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of masculinity The decades that followed brought new worries about masculinity related to the decline of the family wage and the male breadwinner. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 23 June 2026 The collection explored masculinity through romance and vulnerability. Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 23 June 2026 To fight back, Randall provides a rugged blueprint for rebuilding masculinity by teaching boys essential blue-collar trades—like changing oil and home repair—to give them real-world confidence and pride. Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026 Detailing the tumultuous life of Black, gay Chiron (played in ascending ages by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes, all astonishing) in three parts, Moonlight examines the complex intersections of Blackness, masculinity, and queerness with heartwrenching nuance. Rachel Simon, Vulture, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for masculinity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masculinity
Noun
  • The men handling their maleness was interesting.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Fact is Bruce Springsteen has forever been a man of the people, a man in search of his own definition of his maleness and his humanity.
    Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Pls take manhood seriously, approach it with care, responsibility, character, dignity, humility and make room for laughter.
    Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
  • Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Noun
  • The intoxicating pull of the manosphere – the hyper-online community led by men who tout misogynistic definitions of manliness – has given Glass a boisterous brigade of rivals.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
  • The fashion for bushy beards, and beards’ association with authentic manliness, has followed this same trajectory from irony to earnestness during its various resurgences since the early 19th century.
    Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • It is also said to restore virility and regrow hair.
    Phoebe Quinton, AJC.com, 15 June 2026
  • The able-bodied white male stood for the virility of the New Deal nation-state.
    John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In a country built on perpetual grind (westward expansion, the machismo of the highway), the motorcycle distills that promise to its essence.
    Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
  • One common pitch centers on machismo.
    New York Times, New York Times, 21 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Masculinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masculinity. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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