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macho-man

macho-man

8 8.1
A man who acts very tough and shows his physical strength
  • noun
  • /ˈmɑːtʃoʊ mæn/
  • Informal
translation icon : hombre machista
  • He acted like a macho man, boasting about his adventures and conquests.

Look at this and he knocks down the door, being like a macho man.

Examples

  • …my father fancied himself a real macho man.

  • Yes, you look like a macho man.

  • You're a macho man with a code of honor.

  • That's my macho man talking!

  • "Oh, don't be such a macho man," she said.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • His nights out in dance clubs and bars with a string of girlfriends only boosted his reputation as a macho man.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Isn't it a macho man cliché in America for a dad to protectively say, "My daughter will never be allowed to date?"

    Blog text (20)
  • The macho man flexed his muscles to impress everyone at the gym.

  • In the movie, the macho man always saves the day with his incredible strength.

Synonyms

tough guy
vsmacho-man
  • Informal
143 4.2

A man who acts strong to scare people

places more emphasis on virility and sexual prowess than threat
stud
vsmacho-man
  • NSFW
70 7.9

An attractive man who is confident and popular with others

stresses broader masculine display including strength and virility
macho
vsmacho-man
  • Informal
12 7.3

A man who loudly shows pride in being a man

emphasizes physical strength and sexual prowess instead
badman
vsmacho-man
  • Slang
3 9.9

A confident man people admire for his toughness and style

leans more to overt masculine display and physical power
strongman
vsmacho-man
2 5.6

A man who shows great physical strength by doing acts like bending steel

also includes sexual prowess and masculine show beyond pure strength
he-man
vsmacho-man
  • Informal
1 8.1

A person who is very strong and acts very manly

adds an emphasis on sexual prowess as well as strength
muscleman
vsmacho-man
1 4.5

A man with large strong muscles from exercise

focuses more broadly on virility and sexual confidence too
hypermasculine
vsmacho-man
1 8.6

A person who shows very strong traditional ideas about how men should behave

is less extreme, focusing on strong and virile image
bucko
vsmacho-man
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A bold, rough man who acts tough and may threaten others

refers instead to a visible display of strength and virility

Antonyms

weakling
  • Offensive
24 4.4

A person who has little body strength and gets tired easily

softie
  • Offensive
14 5.8

A person who shows strong feelings and is easily moved

How Masculine

macho-man
  • Informal
8 8.1
macho
  • Informal
12 7.3
manly
79 3.0
man
1.0

Surface Forms

macho-man singular
macho-men plural

Morphology

macho-man = macho + man (transparent) = macho + man

The meaning is directly compositional: a man who is 'macho' (overtly masculine), so knowledge of the parts yields the meaning.

Etymology

Macho-man comes from Spanish macho, meaning 'male' or 'strong', joined with English man. So a macho-man is a man who shows extra manly strength or sexual confidence.