manliness

noun

man·​li·​ness ˈman-lē-nəs 

: the quality or state of being manly (as by having qualities such as strength or virility that are traditionally associated with men)

They'd been trained to identify emotional repression as the essence of manliness. Men who broke down, or cried, or admitted to feeling fear, were sissies, weaklings, failures. Not men.

—Pat Barker

… the angular manliness of her gestures …

—John Colapinto

Synonyms of manliness

• masculinity

Examples of manliness in a Sentence

studio executives wondered if the actor possessed the manliness expected in an action hero

Recent Examples on the Web

Studying Latin taught me that contemporary anxieties about manliness and cosmopolitanism date back thousands of years. —Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025

After taking over from the ailing Boris Yeltsin a quarter century ago, Putin started his presidency by projecting a near-comical image of manliness and invincibility. —Andrew Ryvkin, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2025

But just like the men who understood changing a diaper in the 1990s didn't take away their manliness, so can participating in their spouse's emotional needs. —Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025

There's a true earthy manliness that's really f---ing raw and awesome. —Yolanda MacHado, EW.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English manlynesse, from manli, manly manly entry 2 + -nesse -ness

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above