male or masculine? Male is used to describe the sex that does not bear offspring, and plants or flowers that do not produce fruit or seeds: A male deer is called a stag. Masculine is used only of human beings, not plants or animals, and describes qualities and behaviour that are characteristic of or traditionally ascribed to men rather than women: He doesn't think pink sheets are very masculine. Masculine is also used to classify nouns, adjectives, and pronouns in some languages, in contrast to those that are feminine or neuter