masculine

adjective
mas·​cu·​line | \ ˈma-skyə-lən How to pronounce masculine (audio) \

Definition of masculine

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : male masculine members of the choir
b : having qualities appropriate to or usually associated with a man a masculine voice
2 : of, relating to, or constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to males masculine nouns
3a : having or occurring in a stressed final syllable masculine rhyme
b : having the final chord occurring on a strong beat masculine cadence

masculine

noun

Definition of masculine (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the masculine gender
2 : a noun, pronoun, adjective, or inflectional form or class of the masculine gender
3 : a male person

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Other Words from masculine

Adjective

masculinely adverb
masculinity \ ˌma-​skyə-​ˈli-​nə-​tē How to pronounce masculinity (audio) \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for masculine

Synonyms: Adjective

male, manlike, manly, mannish, man-size (or man-sized), virile

Antonyms: Adjective

unmanly, unmasculine

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Examples of masculine in a Sentence

Adjective

The living room is decorated in a more masculine style than the bedroom. “He” is a pronoun of the masculine gender. The masculine form of the Spanish adjective “linda” is “lindo.”

Noun

The masculine of the Spanish adjective “linda” is “lindo.”
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

In a surreal development, the kind of masculine hero Rick inhabited on screen (soldier, cop, cowboy, bounty killer) shows up in the real-life behavior of his stuntman. Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Quentin Tarantino’s #MeToo Moment?," 1 Aug. 2019 Brett, who asked for a masculine feel and ample sunlight, got the office in the front of the house, with walls painted Benjamin Moore Old Navy. Marni Elyse Katz, BostonGlobe.com, "A designer creates her dream home. (And it can withstand young kids.)," 25 July 2019 That said, not everyone is entirely happy with the community’s stereotypically masculine overtones. Steven T. Wright, Vox, "Meet the men obsessed with carrying all the right stuff," 24 July 2019 According to Berkeleyside, the code currently uses mostly masculine pronouns. Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "Berkeley, California, to Remove Gendered Language Like 'Manhole' and 'Manpower' from City Codes," 18 July 2019 Berkeley’s municipal code currently contains mostly masculine pronouns, the office of the city manager said in a letter to the mayor and city council. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "Gendered language like ‘manhole’ and ‘chairmen’ will soon be banned from Berkeley’s city codes," 18 July 2019 Rivas hopes to achieve a sharper jawline and a more androgynous physique without overtly masculine features like facial hair. NBC News, "Neither male nor female: Why some nonbinary people are 'microdosing' hormones," 13 July 2019 While public coffee-houses hosted the masculine pursuits of politics and commerce, tea at home became a feminine domain. B.t., The Economist, "The ambivalent history of the Camellia sinensis leaf," 10 July 2019 Our other finalists tackled a wide range of subjects, from wrestling with hoarding and body image to rejecting oppressive masculine codes of behavior. New York Times, "Modern Love," 23 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Sometimes named, sometimes implied in these sequences, Mister Trumpet symbolizes a masculine-powered dehumanization machine, a harbinger of a level disorder yet to arrive. Walton Muyumba, latimes.com, "The right poetry collection for right now: Terrance Hayes' 'American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin'," 14 June 2018 Since people who regard themselves as masculine have spent centuries diagnosing other people’s identities, this turnabout might be considered fair play. Crispin Sartwell, WSJ, "Conversion Therapy Isn’t the Cure for ‘Toxic Masculinity’," 1 June 2018 Regarding the masculine, Jordan Sullivan, Esteban Schimpf, Brian Merriam, Justin Tyler Close, and Shawn Theodore all make incredibly compelling and unique photographic work. Andrea Alonso, Los Angeles Magazine, "This L.A. Photographer Captures the Female Form in Stunning and Intimate Ways," 5 Mar. 2018 Silicon Valley, is that like hyper-masculine, because the men here are not as ... Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Lauren Goode on her final Too Embarrassed to Ask," 4 Apr. 2018 The masculine is also used when referring to a mixed group of people, even if the group consists of one man and a hundred women. Madhvi Ramani, Smithsonian, "Will a New Law Forever Change the German Language?," 28 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'masculine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of masculine

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for masculine

Adjective and Noun

Middle English masculin, from Latin masculinus, from masculus, noun, male, diminutive of mas male

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More Definitions for masculine

masculine

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of masculine

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: of, relating to, or suited to men or boys
grammar, in some languages : of or belonging to the class of words (called a gender) that ordinarily includes most of the words referring to males

masculine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of masculine (Entry 2 of 2)

grammar, in some languages : a word or form of the masculine gender

masculine

adjective
mas·​cu·​line | \ ˈmas-kyə-lən How to pronounce masculine (audio) \

Kids Definition of masculine

1 : of the male sex
2 : characteristic of or relating to men : male a masculine voice