What does admen mean?
Admen is the plural of adman, an informal term for people who work in the advertising industry, particularly those involved in devising campaigns, writing copy, and selling advertising space or time. The word evokes the mid-twentieth-century golden age of American advertising, when agencies clustered on New York's Madison Avenue and their staff became cultural figures celebrated and satirized in books, films, and television dramas such as Mad Men. In tone, admen sits between colloquial and journalistic: it appears frequently in business and media reporting, often with a hint of nostalgia or wry affection, while more formal contexts may prefer terms like advertising executives or creatives. Although historically masculine in form, the plural is frequently used generically today for advertising professionals regardless of gender. The word derives from the clipped form ad, itself a shortening of advertisement, combined with man.
nounAdmen is the plural of adman: people, typically men, who work in advertising, especially those who create or sell advertisements.
- People who work in advertising, especially in creating, planning, or selling advertisements (plural of adman).
"The Madison Avenue admen of the 1960s shaped the look and language of modern American consumer culture."
"The veteran admen brainstormed slogans late into the night."
"Mid-century admen helped turn television into the dominant advertising medium."
Admen is already a plural noun; the singular is adman.
"Two seasoned admen joined the startup's marketing team."
Before 'Mad Men' made them TV icons, real-life admen on Madison Avenue coined some of the most memorable slogans in history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of admen
Admen combines ad, a late nineteenth-century clipping of advertisement, with man, following the pattern of occupational compounds such as salesman and spokesman. Advertisement ultimately traces back to the Latin verb advertere, meaning 'to turn toward', via Old French advertir. The compound adman arose in American English in the early twentieth century as the advertising industry expanded, and admen is simply its regular plural.
Related word forms
How admen is actually used
Informal to neutral register. Though historically gendered ('adman'), the plural is often used generically for advertising professionals of any gender; 'advertising executives' or 'creatives' are common gender-neutral alternatives in formal writing.
Easily confused with admen
Adman is the singular form referring to one person in advertising, while admen is its plural.