machismo

English - English

Definition of machismo in English English dictionary

exaggerated masculinity

The tragedy of machismo is that a man is never quite man enough.

You use machismo to refer to men's behaviour or attitudes when they are very conscious and proud of their masculinity. Hooky, naturally, has to prove his machismo by going on the scariest rides twice. traditional male behaviour that emphasizes how brave, strong, and sexually attractive a man is (macho; MACHO). Exaggerated pride in masculinity, perceived as power, often coupled with a minimal sense of responsibility and disregard of consequences. In machismo there is supreme valuation of characteristics culturally associated with the masculine and a denigration of characteristics associated with the feminine. It has for centuries been a strong current in Latin American politics and society. Caudillos (military dictators), prominent in the history of Latin America, have typified machismo with their bold and authoritarian approach to government and their willingness to employ violence to achieve their ends

{i} assertive masculinity which is often characterized by aggressiveness and dominance over women, male chauvinism, quality of being macho

machos

Hyphenation

ma·chis·mo

Turkish pronunciation

mıkîzmō

Synonyms

macho, male, manful, manliness, mannish, masculine, muscular, virile

Pronunciation

/məˈkəzmō/ /məˈkɪzmoʊ/

Etymology

() First attested 1940, from American Spanish machismo, from Spanish macho (“male”), + suffix -ismo (“-ism”).