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
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Recent Examples of masculinity
Men's vulnerability groups are helping men talk about the pressures of masculinity and build connections at some companies.
—
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Who can embody masculinity without disrespecting women or gay people, who can speak to the men—particularly young men of color—leaving the party in droves.
—Molly Ball, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Harron and Turner emphasize the comedy of '80s yuppie manners inside Ellis' orgy of bloodlust, highlighting its savage satire of toxic masculinity and consumer excess.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Abaraonye wore sweatpants to the debate, which focused on masculinity and purpose for young men.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for masculinity
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Who can embody masculinity without disrespecting women or gay people, who can speak to the men—particularly young men of color—leaving the party in droves.
—Molly Ball, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Harron and Turner emphasize the comedy of '80s yuppie manners inside Ellis' orgy of bloodlust, highlighting its savage satire of toxic masculinity and consumer excess.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Abaraonye wore sweatpants to the debate, which focused on masculinity and purpose for young men.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for masculinity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masculinity
Noun
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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
-
Becoming Lazarus particularly allowed Claflin to explore maleness.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
After the album dropped, Jason spoke with Travis, 35, about the song on their New Heights podcast — and guessed at what tree his own manhood would be.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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The performances are deliriously inspired, from Mark Ruffalo’s hilarious caricature of insecure manhood to Willem Dafoe’s oddly paternal mad scientist to Stone’s astonishing mental maturation through every developmental stage on the way to adulthood.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Studying Latin taught me that contemporary anxieties about manliness and cosmopolitanism date back thousands of years.—
Literary Hub,
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
Noun
-
Jens snorts angrily; the frost has deprived him of his virility and transformed him into a helpless old man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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For someone like Eli, then, projecting movie-star-like virility and vigor was an exercise in social advancement, in distancing himself from his babushka forebears’ grim reality.—
David Kamp,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In April 2022, a video of Putin gripping a table while talking to former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had also prompted speculation about the condition of the leader, who has always cultivated an image of robust health and machismo.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
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Several writers attempted to construct a pattern and narrative around the killings, blaming the incidents on the country’s culture of machismo or even Sinatra’s own brash lyrics, but I was most drawn to the accounts that pointed to the singers being murdered for not performing the song well enough.—
Gaar Adams
October 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Masculinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masculinity. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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