as in tomboyish
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Recent Examples of butch
In addition to the co-star of I Saw the TV Glow, there’s also Margaret Cho (playing the hot older butch girlfriend to Haven’s more femme character), Dominique Jackson, Tomás Matos, Katy O’Brian, and more.
—
James Factora, Them., 21 Oct. 2025
Maybe not as uniformly vivid as his sister, Bernadette — such a pretty name for such a tough broad, in Lea DeLaria’s priceless, super-butch performance — but vivid enough to be memorable.
—Marilyn Stasio, Variety, 28 Apr. 2022
In her academic work, Butler argues that gender and sexuality are both constructed and performative; butch identity, as female masculinity, subverts the notion that masculinity is the natural and exclusive purview of the male body.
—Kerry Manders, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2020
With Mercedes McCambridge, unforgettable as Crawford's butch nemesis, as well as Ernest Borgnine, Scott Brady, John Carradine, Royal Dano, Ward Bond, and Ben Cooper.
—Patrick Friel, Chicago Reader, 26 June 2018
In this context, Jack feels welcome: Who said only butch gay men should be stars?
—Willa Paskin, Slate Magazine, 28 Sep. 2017
James Factora, Them., 21 Oct. 2025
Maybe not as uniformly vivid as his sister, Bernadette — such a pretty name for such a tough broad, in Lea DeLaria’s priceless, super-butch performance — but vivid enough to be memorable.
—Marilyn Stasio, Variety, 28 Apr. 2022
In her academic work, Butler argues that gender and sexuality are both constructed and performative; butch identity, as female masculinity, subverts the notion that masculinity is the natural and exclusive purview of the male body.
—Kerry Manders, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2020
With Mercedes McCambridge, unforgettable as Crawford's butch nemesis, as well as Ernest Borgnine, Scott Brady, John Carradine, Royal Dano, Ward Bond, and Ben Cooper.
—Patrick Friel, Chicago Reader, 26 June 2018
In this context, Jack feels welcome: Who said only butch gay men should be stars?
—Willa Paskin, Slate Magazine, 28 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butch
Adjective
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Linda Kaye Henning charmed audiences as Betty Jo Bradley, the spirited and tomboyish youngest daughter on Petticoat Junction.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Off-duty, the actor can be found in statement outerwear and tomboyish button-ups and trousers.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Buyers surveyed over the last several weeks have offered a range of projections for the coming NFL season, with some shops anticipating a more modest overall gain for in-game deliveries (+3%) while others suggesting that Big Data will swell the TV numbers by an Amazonian +8%.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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The artist, whose name is Luis Alfonso Palacios II, wore brown cowboy boots made with Amazonian fish leather while astride a horse at a 150-acre, 125-year-old ranch and rodeo arena in Lebanon, Tennessee.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
There's macho panache and white-knuckle action sequences aplenty as Pitt's eccentric Formula 1 veteran plays reluctant mentor to a hotshot rookie (Damson Idris).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Rip, from the director Joe Carnahan, is a cop drama where macho guys (and gals) tote carbine rifles and grunt law-enforcement lingo—the kind of crime-genre pablum that commonly gets thrown onto Netflix in mid-January.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, Carnahan, who’s made other weighty masculine dramas such as Narc, The Grey, and Copshop, is mostly devoted to exploring how a large sum of money starts breeding suspicion among colleagues.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
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The nights are packed with about 1,500 people who cheer, dance and sing, spurred on by the positivity of the series that celebrates masculine vulnerability.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The look on his face was pleased, flattered, almost boyish.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Vanity Fair’s Nicole Chapoteau is a fan of the boyish look, wearing hers outside last season’s Miu Miu show with the brand’s bold yellow leather skirt, a camel blazer, and black penny loafers—finished with a matching grey sock for a charming touch.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There are those drunken, manly ones who want to get it.—
David Searcy,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Being a Harvard grad, he’s never been mistaken for a particularly manly man.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Mainly promoted by male influencers who apparently have a bone to pick with birth-control-using women, this claim rests on several overtly problematic assumptions, say, that all women would be best off with hypermasculine men and that attraction hinges only on appearance.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
13 Nov. 2025
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Synopsis reads: Through a lyrical blend of memory, vérité, and poetic imagery, the protagonists navigate the rodeo’s hypermasculine tradition to find belonging within their community and within themselves.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butch. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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