manhood

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noun man·hood \ ˈman-ˌhu̇d \

Definition of manhood

1 :the condition of being a human being

2 :qualities associated with men :manliness

3 :the condition of being an adult male as distinguished from a child or female

4 :adult males :men

5 :penis

See manhood defined for English-language learners

See manhood defined for kids

Examples of manhood in a Sentence

He took the comment as a challenge to his manhood.
He grew from boyhood to manhood in a small southern town.
the manhood of a nation

Recent Examples of manhood from the Web

There's also extra real estate in the front that cradles your manhood closer than a teenage hypebeast with his first pair of Yeezys.

— matt sebra, GQ, "The Best Underwear for Men Is Worth Every Penny," 18 Aug. 2017
Trump as having a micro penis, as if that were the true test of manhood.

— siobhan mcguirk, Teen Vogue, "Why You Shouldn't Say White Nationalists Aren't "Real Men"," 18 Aug. 2017
Julia O’Malley | High Country News | July 17, 2017 | 12 minutes (3,000 words) For a teenager in the Siberian Yupik village of Gambell, killing a whale would be a rite of passage, and entry into manhood.

— Longreads, "The Top 5 Longreads of the Week," 22 July 2017
Boy wonders grow up and don’t always bring their wonder with them into manhood.

— steve erickson, Los Angeles Magazine, "F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Ghost Haunts Amazon’s Latest Series The Last Tycoon," 13 July 2017
Magariel’s gripping and heartfelt debut is a blunt reminder that the boldest assertion of manhood is not violence stemming from fear.

— jacob gedetsis, kansascity.com, "The KC guide to summer reading: Books by Kansas Citians or set here," 23 June 2017
Voodoo came to bear a greater weight with time, informing my thoughts and strengths as a gay Latino-American negotiating manhood.

— angel e. fraden, Teen Vogue, "D’Angelo Taught Me How to Own My Queerness," 23 June 2017
Past letters have included boasts about one’s manhood, tips for getting on Baker-Crafts’s good side (take out the garbage), and warnings to not party too hard.

— matt viser, Town & Country, "Why the Best Amateur Baseball Players in the Country Love the Cape Cod Baseball League," 22 June 2017
History is a little uncertain about this, but there is reason to believe that Nicomedes enticed Caesar into a dalliance as yet another rite of manhood.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "'Young Caesar' finally conquers: Troubled 1971 opera is reborn at Disney Hall," 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manhood.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of manhood

13th century

manhood Synonyms

Synonyms

machismo, macho, virility, manliness, masculinity

Antonyms

femininity, muliebrity, womanhood, womanliness

Related Words

maleness; boyishness, mannishness, tomboyishness

Near Antonyms

girlishness; femaleness; girlhood, maidenhood; effeminacy, effeteness; emasculation

MANHOOD Defined for English Language Learners

manhood

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noun

Definition of manhood for English Language Learners

: the qualities (such as strength and courage) that are expected in a man
: the state or condition of being an adult man and no longer a boy
: adult men

MANHOOD Defined for Kids

manhood

play

noun man·hood \ ˈman-ˌhu̇d \

Definition of manhood for Students

1 :qualities (as strength and courage) believed to be typical of men

2 :the state of being an adult human male

3 :adult human males

Learn More about manhood

See words that rhyme with manhood Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for manhood Spanish Central: Translation of manhood Nglish: Translation of manhood for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of manhood for Arabic speakers

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Examples of manhood in a Sentence

Recent Examples of manhood from the Web

First Known Use of manhood

manhood Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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MANHOOD Defined for English Language Learners

manhood

Definition of manhood for English Language Learners

MANHOOD Defined for Kids

manhood

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