masculine
/ˈmaskjʊlɪn
/adjective
1Having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men: he is outstandingly handsome and robust, very masculine...
- These are very attractive and masculine qualities.
- This 16th century bastioned city is unique in the feminine quality among the masculine citadels of Rajasthan.
- Actually, part of her success is that she combines traditionally masculine and feminine qualities in one package.
Synonyms
virile, macho, manly, all-male, muscular, muscly, strong, strapping, well built, rugged, robust, brawny, powerful, red-blooded, vigorous
informal hunky, ripped, shredded
North American informal buff
US informal jacked
mannish, manlike, unfeminine, unwomanly, unladylike, Amazonian
informal butch, dykey
archaic viraginous, viragoish
1.1Relating to men; male: a masculine voice...
- A hesitant and very masculine voice echoed through the earpiece.
- A masculine voice soon interrupted them, the kitchen door opening.
- However, I thought I caught a hint of relief in his masculine voice.
Synonyms
male, manly, manlike, of men, man's, men's, male-oriented
2 Grammar Of or denoting a gender of nouns and adjectives, conventionally regarded as male: masculine pronouns...
- Italian casa ‘house’ is a noun of feminine gender, giardino ‘garden’ is a noun of masculine gender.
- It is unfortunate that the gender of the noun, being masculine, is confused with the intent of the word, which is neutral.
- Latin homo is a masculine noun that can mean a human being, a male person, or humanity in general.
noun (the masculine)
1The male sex or gender: the dance presents the world of the masculine, its raw energy...
- The result seems very much a mix of the two genders, with the emphasis on the masculine.
- It differentiates the masculine from the feminine, the child from the adult and the human from the animal.
- It must be part of an inclusive approach to discussing a new history, which integrates the feminine with the masculine.
1.1 Grammar A masculine word or form.In dictionaries, adjectives are always given in the masculine singular and this may not be the form in which you need the adjective and you may have to change it....
- The Masculine of either the Adjective or the Participle is freely used in any Case and in any construction.
- It will be observed that the masculine of the adjective is declined exactly like a masculine noun of the second declension, the feminine exactly like a feminine noun of the first declension, and the neuter exactly like a neuter noun of the second declension.
Derivatives
masculinely
- Next came the denim jacket, my hands masculinely gripping the lapels, a debonair smile cocked across my face.
- But it is the similarity of Aretino's praise of Venus's masculinely feminine form to Dolce's admiring description of the femininely masculine Adonis that is especially striking.
- The men's designs were more modern in their scope; and Mr Tong showed some very masculinely sexy pieces here.
Origin
Late Middle English (in grammatical use): via Old French from Latin masculinus, from masculus 'male'.
macho from [1920s]:
When Mexicans described a man as macho, it was usually to compliment him on his vigour and virility. But when English-speaking Americans adopted the word from Mexican Spanish in the 1920s it acquired overtones of ‘masculine in an overly assertive or aggressive way’. The Spanish word macho derives from Latin masculus ‘male’, the source of masculine (Middle English). Machismo, also from Mexican Spanish and based on macho, dates from the 1940s.