Word
masculine
Phoneticsmas·cu·line, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈmæskjəɫən/
UK/mˈæskjʊlˌɪn/
Definitions
01typical of men
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. having qualities that people traditionally think of as belonging to men, such as strength or a deep voice.
adj. having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men, often in a stereotypical or cultural sense.
“The room was decorated in a very masculine style with dark leather and wood.”
“The marketing campaign relied on traditionally masculine imagery to appeal to a demographic that valued ruggedness and independence.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02grammar
B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Technical
adj. belonging to a group of words that are treated as male in some languages, like French or German.
adj. relating to the grammatical gender typically associated with male beings, though often applied to inanimate objects in gendered languages.
“In Spanish, the word for 'book' is masculine, so you use 'el' instead of 'la'.”
“Students often struggle to memorise which German nouns are masculine and which are neuter, as the logic is not always intuitive.”
03the masculine gender
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Academic · Technical
n. the male gender or a word that belongs to the male category in grammar.
n. the masculine grammatical gender or a specific linguistic form belonging to that category.
“In this language, the adjective changes its ending when it follows the masculine.”
“The professor explained how the masculine is often used as the default gender in many Romance languages when referring to mixed groups.”
Antonyms
Usage
Commonly used to describe physical characteristics or gendered social roles; in linguistics, it refers to a specific grammatical gender.
Real-World Examples
“It’s a very masculine story but we wanted strong female characters too – we had Maxine Peake and Rebecca Hall.” “I thought if I was coming at it as drag, what would I perceive to be very “masculine” traits to put into the character?” Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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