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
Stuart KeateThe man controlling his environment is today the prevailing American image of masculinity.—Susan Faludi
Susan Faludi
Examples of masculinity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The filmmakers shrewdly incorporate timely topics like fast fashion, food insecurity, toxic masculinity and privilege in a humorous, intelligent manner.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
But acting styles and cultural definitions of masculinity change with the decades, and the archetype of the hostile, mercurial acting artiste that Brando birthed appears to be dying out.
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
The story at the men’s collections, as reported in my fall 2024 menswear trend report, was that traditional masculinity was back.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024
Along with 21 colleagues, Sáenz initially enrolled to improve his stress management skills but was pleased to engage in discussions about caregiving and masculinity.
—Christina Noriega, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024
Robert De Niro won his second Academy Award for playing the central boxer as a human embodiment of stubbornness and the worst aspects of masculinity, spending the majority of the movie mistreating and abusing the people around him.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024
Rankine knew the hoodie would forever be associated with the murder of Trayvon Martin, that that association redirects but doesn’t necessarily reframe the hoodie as a symbol of black masculinity.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2024
Uncle Vanya is indeed an astonishingly modern play, with its meditations on money, class, work, the environment, and masculinity.
—Adrienne Miller, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
One of the first steps in creating a safe space for men like Clay is challenging the harmful stereotypes and expectations surrounding masculinity, dismantling the myth that strength means suppressing emotions and vulnerability.
—Essence, 16 Mar. 2024
Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
But acting styles and cultural definitions of masculinity change with the decades, and the archetype of the hostile, mercurial acting artiste that Brando birthed appears to be dying out.
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
The story at the men’s collections, as reported in my fall 2024 menswear trend report, was that traditional masculinity was back.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024
Along with 21 colleagues, Sáenz initially enrolled to improve his stress management skills but was pleased to engage in discussions about caregiving and masculinity.
—Christina Noriega, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024
Robert De Niro won his second Academy Award for playing the central boxer as a human embodiment of stubbornness and the worst aspects of masculinity, spending the majority of the movie mistreating and abusing the people around him.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024
Rankine knew the hoodie would forever be associated with the murder of Trayvon Martin, that that association redirects but doesn’t necessarily reframe the hoodie as a symbol of black masculinity.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2024
Uncle Vanya is indeed an astonishingly modern play, with its meditations on money, class, work, the environment, and masculinity.
—Adrienne Miller, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
One of the first steps in creating a safe space for men like Clay is challenging the harmful stereotypes and expectations surrounding masculinity, dismantling the myth that strength means suppressing emotions and vulnerability.
—Essence, 16 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'masculinity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Masculinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/masculinity. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Psychological AbstractsLove words? Need even more definitions?
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