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mankiller

mankiller

1 9.2
A woman who is very attractive and draws strong admiration from men
  • noun
  • /ˈmænˌkɪlər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : [término ofensivo para una mujer muy atractiva que atrae a muchos hombres]
  • Odysseus is every man gripped by an enigma, the Sphinx, who's alluringly beautiful but is a mankiller who grasps you in her claws.

Examples

  • He couldn't take his eyes off her; she was the kind of mankiller that turned heads everywhere.

  • But, like the marshal on the vanished Western frontier, he stared down strikers with "mankiller eyes"; his jaw ran "straight... as the barrel of a Colt's forty-five."

    Academic text (1994)
  • It was also a name for Amazons, like the Moon Maids of the Lion Shrine—mankillers who obeyed no laws but their own.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Everyone at the party was mesmerized by her; she was truly a mankiller.

  • Her confidence and beauty made her a mankiller in the dating scene.

Synonyms

knockout
vsmankiller
  • Informal
22 4.8

A very attractive person, often a woman who gets attention

draws strong attention and admiration specifically from men
looker
vsmankiller
  • Informal
17 6.5

A good-looking person, often a woman, who many people notice

focuses on attracting men's admiration rather than neutral notice
siren
vsmankiller
  • Literature
14 8.2

A woman who uses her beauty to attract men into danger

emphasizes attraction and admiration rather than causing harm or danger
femme fatale
vsmankiller
  • Literature
9 8.8

A mysterious, attractive woman who leads men into danger

is instead about attracting strong male admiration without danger
smasher
vsmankiller
  • NSFW
1 8.6

A very good-looking woman who attracts attention

is specifically about drawing men's attention and admiration
ravisher
vsmankiller
  • Archaic
9.9

A woman who is very attractive and seems sexually exciting

attracts men's strong attention rather than only general beauty
vamper
vsmankiller
  • Offensive
9.9

A woman who uses her charm to trick men into doing what she wants

is about drawing men's admiration, not using them for personal gain

Antonyms

50 2.5

Not attractive to look at

37 1.8

Not pleasant to look at or to the senses

How Attractive

stunner
  • Informal
5 6.7
mankiller
  • Offensive
1 9.2
beauty
  • NSFW
198 3.0
ordinary
5 2.0

Surface Forms

mankiller singular
mankillers plural

Morphology

mankiller = man + killer (semi-transparent) = man + killer

Formally 'man' + 'killer' is clear, but the sense 'an attractive woman who attracts men' is metaphorical rather than literal.

Etymology

Mankiller is formed from man and killer. A helpful way to remember the informal use for a very attractive woman is to think of her as 'killing' men's hearts, meaning she strongly attracts or overwhelms many men.