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Glite Dictionary
kept man

kept man

2 8.4
A man who depends on a woman for money while they have a romantic relationship
  • noun
  • /kɛpt mæn/
  • Slang
translation icon : mantenido
  • He enjoys the luxurious lifestyle that comes with being a kept man in her affluent home.

Examples

  • Many people criticize him for being a kept man, but he is happy in his relationship.

  • I could be a kept man.

    Chalet Girl (2011)

  • Robert is a kept man.

    The Stranger Within (2013)

  • You think I like living up here with you, like some kind of kept man.

    Poolhall Junkies (2002)

  • After years of hard work, he decided to become a kept man and let his partner support him.

Synonyms

gigolo
vskept man
  • NSFW
25 9.0

A man who gets money from a woman in return for sex

focuses on being part of an ongoing romantic relationship rather than being paid

Surface Forms

kept man singular
kept men plural

Morphology

keep + man

The core meaning — a man who is financially supported or maintained — is directly derived from 'keep' (to support or provide for) plus 'man', so a B1 learner who knows both words and sees context (e.g. 'She has a kept man') can infer someone being financially maintained. The expression does carry social and pejorative nuances (often implying a romantic/sexual arrangement and dependency), but those pragmatic overtones do not block the immediately compositional financial-support meaning.

Etymology

Kept man comes from the image of a person being kept—like a guest or servant who is paid to live in comfort by someone else. That's why it means 'a man who is financially supported by a romantic partner'.