MALENESS Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

maleness

noun

Definition of maleness

as in masculinity

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of maleness Public speech was a—if not the—defining attribute of maleness. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 The men handling their maleness was interesting. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maleness

Noun

Aside from his work on screen, the Londoner is an accomplished poet whose work explores themes of masculinity, love, grief and connection.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
The coming-of-age story is set in the 1990s and explores themes of masculinity and homophobia.

— Tara Lynch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of masculinity

Noun

That was a great pinball experience, just to bounce off these guys my whole life as a boy and kind of go into manhood and make music with those guys.

— Gary Graff, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, her son Ruari (Murphy) is in a crisis about his manhood, and her parents are ailing.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of manhood

Noun

Lee ingratiates himself by pretending to be interested in becoming a CO himself — attracted to the manliness and the glamor.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
While concerns regarding testosterone levels are new, anxiety about manliness is ancient, often rising with a society’s material comfort.

— Elizabeth Dray, STAT, 21 July 2026

Definition of manliness

Noun

Smallwood attacks Nick’s virility, saying he’ll be publicly humiliated when his wife has to bail him out again in court.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
The frozen velocity of paint whipped across a canvas suggested a new visual metaphor for intensity, aggression, violence, virility, force, energy, music, and ecstasy, a more efficient representation than any previous word or picture had managed.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of virility

Noun

Though his stage presence could easily veer into a machismo-heavy persona, Robles sets himself apart in comedy by being the opposite.

— Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Yet in a land where machismo still reigns, it’s considered a rather severe insult.

— Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of machismo

Browse Nearby Words

malefactors

maleness

males

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Style

“Maleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maleness. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of maleness

noun

Example Sentences

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