What does mannish mean?
Mannish is an adjective describing characteristics, behavior, or appearance regarded as excessively masculine, especially in someone conventionally expected to be feminine. It often carries a dismissive or derogatory implication, suggesting that a style or demeanor is overbearing, awkward, or inappropriately forceful. The term is not simply a neutral synonym for manly or masculine: its usual force depends on social expectations about gender and on the speaker's judgment. For example, a woman’s direct speech or practical clothing may be called mannish by someone who considers such qualities unfeminine, while a man’s swagger may be described in the same disparaging way. Historically, the word developed from man and the suffix -ish and initially expressed the idea of being like or resembling a man. Its critical connotation developed alongside gendered uses that treated masculine traits as unsuitable in women and, sometimes, as excessive in men. Understanding that evaluative history helps explain why the word can reveal a speaker's assumptions as much as it describes the person or behavior being discussed.
adjectiveHaving characteristics or a manner regarded as excessively masculine, especially in someone conventionally expected to be feminine. The term is often derogatory and can imply that a behavior, style, or appearance is clumsy, overbearing, or inappropriately forceful.
- Having characteristics or a manner regarded as excessively masculine, especially in someone conventionally expected to be feminine.
"The critic dismissed her forceful prose as mannish, revealing more about his assumptions than about her writing."
"Her blunt, practical demeanor was dismissed by the older men as mannish."
"The commentator's use of “mannish” for the character's swagger exposed the limits of a gendered vocabulary."
Calling something “mannish” can reveal a speaker’s assumptions faster than the behavior they are describing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mannish come from?
Mannish is an English formation based on man with the suffix -ish, a combination in use by the early modern period. It originally conveyed the idea of resembling or being like a man, while later usage often gave it a more critical sense, particularly in reference to characteristics considered unfeminine. Related English forms such as manly, manlike, manhood, and manful share the same underlying root, while mannish itself reflects the productive English use of -ish to form adjectives.
Related word forms
How mannish is actually used
This adjective is chiefly evaluative rather than purely descriptive and is often dismissive or insulting. Its force is strongest when applied to a woman or to behavior associated with traditional ideas of masculinity, although it can also characterize a man's exaggerated or swaggering manner.
Easily confused with mannish
Manish is a less common form associated with words such as manly or manlike, whereas mannish is commonly used in the more critical sense of exaggerated or supposedly inappropriate masculinity.