masculinity

noun

mas·​cu·​lin·​i·​ty ˌma-skyə-ˈli-nə-tē 

: the quality or nature of the male sex : the quality, state, or degree of being masculine or manly

challenging traditional notions about masculinity and femininity

… a style which alternates between a polished grace and blunt masculinity.

—Stuart Keate

The man controlling his environment is today the prevailing American image of masculinity.

—Susan Faludi

Synonyms of masculinity

• maleness
• manhood
• manliness
• virility
• machismo

Examples of masculinity in a Sentence

some men believe that wearing pink would undermine their masculinity

Recent Examples on the Web

In Off Campus, gentle masculinity is the standard. —Anna Rinderspacher, Glamour, 20 May 2026

Yet the car was also a burden, with high monthly interest payments, which put savage masculinity at odds with paternal liability. —Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026

And, most gratifyingly for a genre that can sometimes feel stuck in retrograde masculinity, a lot of those three-dimensional characters are women. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 May 2026

There’s so much discussion about hockey and locker room talk and (toxic) masculinity and all that culture. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 13 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing masculinity

• hyper-masculinity

Rhymes for masculinity

• alkalinity
• consanguinity
• crystallinity
• femininity
• affinity
• divinity
• infinity
• salinity
• vicinity
• virginity

Medical Definition

masculinity

noun

mas·​cu·​lin·​i·​ty ˌmas-kyə-ˈlin-ət-ē 

plural masculinities

: the quality, state, or degree of being masculine

measurement of masculinity or femininity

—Psychological Abstracts