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Glite Dictionary
to embrace manhood

to embrace manhood

7.7
To accept responsibility for being an adult man
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɪmˈbreɪs ˈmænˌhʊd/
translation icon : asumir la masculinidad
  • Many cultures have rituals to help young men embrace manhood and their responsibilities.

Examples

  • He decided to embrace manhood after graduating from college.

  • After years of self-doubt, he decided to embrace manhood and face his challenges directly.

  • He hesitated at first, but ultimately he embraced manhood with pride.

  • John embraces manhood with confidence.

  • After years of self-doubt, he decided to embrace manhood and face his challenges directly.

  • He hesitated at first, but ultimately he embraced manhood with pride.

  • Many cultures have rituals to help young men embrace manhood and their responsibilities.

Synonyms

to be a man
vsto embrace manhood
  • Informal
117 7.3

Act with courage and responsibility when facing a hard situation

is about accepting and owning the adult role generally
to man up
vsto embrace manhood
  • Informal
36 7.9

To act brave and take responsibility when things are hard

is broader focusing on accepting the adult role beyond single challenges

Antonyms

to evade
31 3.9

To avoid doing something you should do, for example a duty or a direct question

How Responsible

role model
213 2.8
to embrace manhood
7.7
to be a man
  • Informal
117 7.3

Surface Forms

embrace manhood infinitive
embraced manhood past
embraced manhood past participle
embracing manhood present participle
embraces manhood third person singular

Morphology

embrace + manhood

The meaning is directly compositional: 'embrace' (to take on/adopt) combined with 'manhood' (the qualities/responsibilities of being a man) yields 'accept and take responsibility for being a man.' This follows a regular English verb + noun composition and is likely understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Embrace manhood may come from the simple image of embrace as 'to hold close' and manhood as 'being an adult man'. It is like a young man taking his new role close to him, so embrace manhood means 'to accept and take responsibility for being an adult man'.