mannish

adjective

man·​nish ˈma-nish How to pronounce mannish (audio)
1
: resembling or suggesting a man rather than a woman
2
: generally associated with or characteristic of a man rather than a woman
her mannish clothes
mannishly adverb
mannishness noun

Examples of mannish in a Sentence

She was wearing a hat and mannish clothing. She had a deep and rather mannish voice.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Here, the suffragists portrayed are mannish and middle-aged, typical of many negative suffragist depictions, stereotyping them as unsexed spinsters. Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024 The dialogue between masculine and feminine was one of the most present trends, alternating romantic flower prints and baby-doll apparel as seen at Chloé, Loewe, Acne, Dries Van Noten; and tomboy to mannish attitude and clothes such as Saint Laurent and Loewe. Rhonda Richford, WWD, 2 Oct. 2024 But Muir’s co-moderator, Linsey Davis, was a different case: Davis wore a mannish, gray suit jacket and struck a pose of martinet — almost schoolmarmish — solemnity. Armond White, National Review, 20 Sep. 2024 Sandra wears a suit jacket in court to signal her bisexuality, consistent with the mannish presiding judge (Anne Rotger) and the accusatory court spectators. Armond White, National Review, 31 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mannish 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mannish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mannish

Cite this Entry

“Mannish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mannish. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

mannish

adjective
man·​nish ˈman-ish How to pronounce mannish (audio)
: resembling, suggesting, suitable to, or characteristic of a man rather than a woman
a mannish voice
her mannish clothes
mannishly adverb
mannishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on mannish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!