Dictionary

manhood en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈmænhʊd/

Etymology

From Middle English manhode, also manhede (> obsolete English manhead), equivalent to man + -hood. Cognate with Middle Dutch manheit (“manhood”), Middle Low German manheit (whence German Low German Mannheit (“manhood”)), German Mannheit (“manhood”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The state or condition of being a human being.
   • Thou seemest human and divine, ⁠The highest, holiest manhood, thou. 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Prologue”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
   • He feared the speedy decline of all manhood.
2. (countable, uncountable) The state or condition of being a man, as contrasted with being a boy, woman, girl, or nonbinary.
   • Feel awfully about Scott... It was a terrible thing for him to love youth so much that he jumped straight from youth to senility without going through manhood. The minute he felt youth going he was frightened again and thought there was nothing between youth and age. 1936 Feb. 15, Ernest Hemingway, letter to Maxwell Perkins
   • He was a strapping youth poised on the brink of manhood.
   • The Caves of Ajanta, the medieval Courts of Love, the epithalamia of the erotic poets [...] all testify to the glorification of manhood, the supremacy of the sex motif. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page iii:
3. (countable, uncountable) All of the men of a given place, area, or any human subgroup (ethnicity, nation, race, religion, family, work crew or ship's crew, etc.) regarded collectively.
   • The greatest product of any country is her manhood. What if she can boast of coffers bursting with gold, when she raises men with earthen hearts? 1923, Douglas Wood Miller, Practical Exercises in News Writing and Editing, page 112
   • (exclusively and universally: only synonymous in cases for which women are excluded, and when the meaning of manhood is universal or worldwide)
   • Her (the American South's) soil was drenched with blood; the very flower of her manhood was martyred; her women and children were made to suffer in the extreme; her property was destroyed by forced emancipation, by the devastation of war, […] 1932 (October), J.D. Eggleston, The Attitude of Virginia Leaders Toward Slavery and Secession Appearing in: The Virginia Teacher, Volume 13, Issue 7,.pp. 147 - 154
   • During the Second World War, Russia lost a great percentage of its young manhood, giving rise to a great wave of widowhood in the country.
   • Long focused on its Soviet adversary, America seemed barely to notice the manhood of Islam. Training, dedication, religious zeal, planning, even where purity might falter, would correct all that. Islam needed young men, skilled, willing to die. The United States would be reduced. 2003, Lenn E. Goodman, Islamic Humanism page 112
   • But he thanked them all the same for the good example they had shown the county and the country, that in time of trouble, in time of difficulty, and in time of doubt, the manhood of this district and of the surrounding district, and the manhood of Clan Desmond should show their faith in the old grand ideals of a free and united Ireland (cheers). 1914, D.J. Griffin, Hon. Sec. Castleisland, Kerry, Ireland, Article from the Newspaper "Ireland", Wednesday, November 11, 1914 Title: "Kerry Staunch and True, Great Meeting in Castleisland"
   • But nosin’ down the roadway past the bones of other wrecks / Goes the doughty little gunboat with her manhood on her decks! 1916, Dana Burnet (American Poet), Excerpt from the poem: "The Gunboat"
   • […] it was not until the year 1870, after the republic had been completely drained of its manhood and resources, that the long war was terminated by the capture and death of Lopez […] 1908, L. Brent Vaughan (Editor), The New Standard History of the World Volume 2, page 809
4. (countable, uncountable) The idealized nature of a man: all of the characteristics traditionally and ideally ascribed to manliness regarded collectively.
   • Traditionally, men sought to enhance the manhood of their young sons, so that they would become manly men, but in general, men no longer do so.
   • "And as their valour, so you trow, defied on aspe'rous voyage cruel harm and sore, so many changing skies their manhood tried, such climes where storm-winds blow and billows roar[.]" 1880, Richard Francis Burton, Os Lusíadas, volume I, page 23:
   • My goodness, James certainly is a prime example of manhood, isn't he?
5. (countable, uncountable) The self-concept of a man being with respect to his possession of the various qualities traditionally and ideally ascribed to manliness; a man's sense or view of himself as being more or less manly.
   • The failure of William's business seems to have been quite damaging to his manhood.
   • It was a racking experience, and he did not repeat it. The muscular cramps which are characteristic of the complaint were tying the sufferer into knots, and he was biting his lips to shut down the screams which might have relieved his agony at the expense of his manhood. 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
   • I feel that when you boss me around, you insult my manhood.
6. (countable, euphemistic, uncountable) The male genitalia, especially the penis.
   • She spied on him in the shower and glimpsed his manhood.
   • A Thai man was taken to hospital to have a sex toy removed with bolt cutters after it got stuck on his penis. He was using the device at home but was left in agony when he could not detach it from his manhood. 2016, Rory Tingle, “Thai man has a sex ring removed with bolt cutters after it became stuck on his penis”, in Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers:
   • In the course of a journey the Rabbis [...] came across a young man who had been robbed of his manhood and made a eunuch by a certain witch. 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 50:
   • Awkward or repetitive prose presented another pitfall. Left to their own devices, chatbots will default to odd or euphemistic phrasing, Ms. Hart said, noting that an A.I. program had recently written “his turgid manhood” to describe a character’s erection. 2026 February 8, Alexandra Alter, “The New Fabio Is Claude”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Forms

Antonyms

womankind · womanhood · womanhood · womanishness · womanhood · womanliness · womanhood

Coordinates

boyhood · girlhood · womanhood · womanhood

Deriveds

supermanhood · manhood suffrage

Hypernyms

junk · adulthood

Relateds

boyhood · girlhood · childhood

Synonyms

manfulness · mannishness · manliness · humanity · mankind

Translations (121)

fi miesväki (men as a group) · es humanidad (state of being human) · de Menschentum (state of being human) · zu umthondo (euphemism of male genitalia) · zu amadoda (men as a group) · pt virilidade (state of being a man) · ru мужско́е досто́инство (euphemism of male genitalia) · es masculinidad (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · cs mužství (state of being a man) · ceb pagkalalaki (state of being a man) · ru му́жественность (state of being a man) · izh meessuku (men as a group) · ru мужско́й пол (men as a group) · fi ihmisyys (state of being human) · fi miehuus (self-concept of a man) · ru челове́чность (state of being human) · bg човечност (state of being human) · it mascolinità (state of being a man) · bn মরদামি (state of being a man) · nb manndom (state of being a man) · de Mannsein (state of being a man) · es hombría (self-concept of a man) · es virilidad (euphemism of male genitalia) · el αρρενωπότητα (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · de Gemächte (euphemism of male genitalia) · ru мужски́е половы́е о́рганы (euphemism of male genitalia) · mk ма́шкост (state of being a man) · nb manndom (euphemism of male genitalia) · el ανδρισμός (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · nn manndom (state of being a man) · es masculinidad (men as a group) · ar رُجُولَة (state of being a man) · ka მამაკაცურობა (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · ru мужчи́ны (men as a group) · he גַּבְרִיּוּת (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · ka კაცურობა (state of being a man) · bg пълнолетие (state of being a man) · tr erkeklik (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · nn manndom (euphemism of male genitalia) · nan-hbl lān-tsiàu (euphemism of male genitalia) · tl pagkalalaki (state of being a man) · pl męskość (state of being a man) · de Menschheit (state of being human) · bn মরদামি (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · fr virilité (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · es masculinidad (euphemism of male genitalia) · ka კაცობა (state of being human) · tr erkeklik (state of being a man) · tl pagkalalaki (euphemism of male genitalia) · tsg pagkausug (state of being a man) · mk маже́ственост (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · ka მამრობითი სქესი (men as a group) · cs lidství (state of being human) · mk чо́вештво (state of being human) · bg мъжественост (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · el ανδρισμός (state of being a man) · tr erkeklik (euphemism of male genitalia) · tr erkeklik organı (euphemism of male genitalia) · tl kalalakihan (men as a group) · zu ubuntu (state of being human) · ka ძლიერი სქესი (men as a group) · cs mužství (euphemism of male genitalia) · gl virilidade (state of being a man) · de Menschsein (state of being human) · tr insaniyet (state of being human) · ary رجولة (state of being a man) · mk ма́шки по́лов о́рган (euphemism of male genitalia) · es virilidad (state of being a man) · zu isilisa (men as a group) · he אֱנוֹשׁוּת (state of being human) · fi miehet (men as a group) · ary رجلة (state of being a man) · de Männlichkeit (euphemism of male genitalia) · el ανδρισμός (euphemism of male genitalia) · ca masculinitat (state of being a man) · fi miehekkyys (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · es hombría (state of being a man) · bcl pagkalalaki (state of being a man) · ga ball fearga (euphemism of male genitalia) · fi miehuus (state of being a man) · bcl pagkalalaki (euphemism of male genitalia) · ru му́жество (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · mi tānetanga (state of being a man) · sk mužnosť (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · es masculinidad (state of being a man) · pl męskość (euphemism of male genitalia) · izh meesrahvas (men as a group) · zu ubudoda (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · cs mužnost (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · fi mieheys (self-concept of a man) · es virilidad (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · ar رُجْلِيَّة (state of being a man) · ar رُجْلَة (state of being a man) · ka კაცები (men as a group) · fr humanité (state of being human) · fi miehuus (euphemism of male genitalia) · ka კაცურობა (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · fr virilité (state of being a man) · tr insanlık (state of being human) · mk ма́жи (men as a group) · bcl kalalakihan (men as a group) · ca virilitat (state of being a man) · fr masculinité (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · mk маже́ственост (self-concept of a man) · ru мужски́е генита́лии (euphemism of male genitalia) · bg пакет (euphemism of male genitalia) · ga fearúlacht (state of being a man) · he זַכְרוּת (euphemism of male genitalia) · sk ľudstvo (state of being human) · sk muži (men as a group) · de Männlichkeit (state of being a man) · sk mužskosť (state of being a man) · ru му́жественность (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · mk ма́шки пол (men as a group) · sk mužnosť (euphemism of male genitalia) · gl humanidade (state of being human) · gl masculinidade (qualities ideally ascribed to manliness) · hu férfiasság (euphemism of male genitalia) · zu ubudoda (state of being a man) · ceb pagkalalaki (euphemism of male genitalia) · ka ადამიანობა (state of being human)