What does unmanliness mean?
Unmanliness is an uncommon noun for the absence of qualities regarded as manly, especially courage and resolve. In its clearest sense it means cowardice: hesitation before danger, retreat in the face of a challenge, or failure to act when moral courage is required. The word can also refer more generally to a supposed lack of masculine character or self-command, but that broader use carries the assumptions of an older, explicitly gendered vocabulary. Modern speakers generally prefer more precise terms such as cowardice, fearfulness, timidity, or weakness, depending on the context. Unmanliness is nevertheless useful when the issue is not merely fear but a social judgment: the word records how communities have often treated courage as a test of character and, specifically, of male character. Its strongest present-day associations are consequently literary, formal, and mildly censorious rather than neutral. It should not be treated as a clinical diagnosis, and its use can reproduce the very gender assumptions embedded in the notion of manliness.
nounThe state or quality of lacking qualities traditionally associated with manliness, especially courage or resolve; cowardice.
- Lack of manly qualities, especially courage or resolve; cowardice.
"His refusal to face the challenge was condemned as unmanliness."
"The editor dismissed the refusal to testify as unmanliness."
"Her memoir explores the political uses of the charge of unmanliness."
Rarely used; the abstract noun is normally uncountable.
"Cowardice, cruelty, and other unmanlinesses fill the memoir."
Adding “un-” to manliness turns a social ideal into an accusation of cowardice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unmanliness come from?
Unmanliness is an English formation made from the negative prefix un-, the adjective manly, and the abstract-noun suffix -ness. The adjective manly derives from man, which continues Old English mann, meaning a human being or man, while -ness is an English suffix that forms nouns denoting qualities or states. The compound literally expresses “the quality of not being manly,” with its principal historical emphasis falling on a perceived lack of masculine courage.
How unmanliness is actually used
This is an uncommon, somewhat literary word with a strongly gendered history. It can mean simple cowardice, but it may also imply a broader failure of courage, composure, or masculine character. Its use may perpetuate assumptions that courage is exclusively masculine; more precise modern terms are often preferable.