Masculine Gender: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what masculine genders are? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on masculine genders, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What is a masculine gender?

According to Grammar Monster, masculine gender uses he/him.his pronouns and is one of three genders in English grammar. People often use different words, i.e. masculine words and feminine words, to refer to gendered things and people, such as waiter or waitress, or stallion and mare which are masculine and feminine nouns, respectively. For objects or gender-inclusive speech, people use the neuter gender or neutral language. This is sometimes called a “third gender.”

Female persons prefer being referred to with feminine pronouns, while male persons prefer being referred to by male pronouns. There is also the neuter gender in English grammar which is used with objects or people who do not identify with a gender. One might also use gendered pronouns with domestic animals. In Modern English, it is important to ask a person’s preferred pronouns. People often associate traditional masculinity with toughness.

Many different languages also use different words that mean masculine. You may notice that some of these translations of masculine look similar to the word adjective. These are called cognates, which are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin.This list of translations of masculine comes via Word Sense, but you can also find translations via other online dictionaries.

  •  Faroese: mansligur‎, mannligur‎, mannfólkaligur‎
  •  Polish: męski‎
  •  German: männlich‎
  •  Volapük: manik‎
  •  Estonian: meessoost‎
  •  Finnish: miespuolinen‎, miehinen‎
  •  Georgian: მამრობითი‎
  •  Belarusian: мужчы́нскі‎
  •  Czech: mužský‎
  •  Armenian: արական‎
  •  Spanish: masculino‎ (masc.)
  •  Norwegian: maskulin‎, mandig‎
  •  Bulgarian: мъ́жки‎
  •  Irish: fearúil‎
  •  Dutch: mannelijk‎
  •  Ukrainian: чолові́чий‎
  •  Persian: نر‎ (nar)
  •  Catalan: masculí‎
  •  Norman: mastchulîn‎
  •  Japanese: 男らしい‎ (otokorashii), 男‎
  •  Marathi: पुरुषवाचक‎ (puruShawaachana)
  •  French: masculin‎
  •  Danish: mandlig‎
  •  West Frisian: manlik‎
  •  Greek: αρσενικός‎ (masc.)
  •  Italian: mascolino‎ (masc.)
  •  Swedish: manlig‎
  •  Russian: мужско́й‎
  •  Latin: masculīnus‎, masculus‎
  •  Pashto: نر‎ (nër), نارينه‎ (nâriná)
  •  Portuguese: macho‎
  •  Latvian: vīrišķīgs‎, vīrišķs‎, vīriešu‎
  •  Indonesian: maskulin‎
  •  Arabic: ذَكَرِيّ‎
  •  Romanian: masculin‎ (masc.)
  •  Slovak: mužský‎
  •  Korean: 남자다운‎
  •  Mandarin: 男的‎ (nán de), 男性‎
  •  Hindi: पुरुषवाचक‎ (puruShawaachana)
  •  Maori: tāne‎
  •  Lithuanian: vyriškas‎

While the above refers to a grammatical gender identity, gender roles and identity go much deeper than this. These categories of behaviors have been defined throughout time and are now viewed as a default or norm. While people do have differences in biological sex, gender differences and gender stereotypes are challenged by folks every day. While biological sex refers to chromosomes and the genitalia a person was born with, expressing masculinity and femininity through personality traits, social norms, and sexual behavior is different. A person might go against traditional masculininty, and queer folks like lesbians and others in the LGBTQIA+ community challenge these norms every day. A trans person who wishes to transition from one gender to another might change the labels they identify with, take hormones or undergo surgery so that their gender expression can match what they feel. Some people also identify as gender-fluid or non binary, or may be born intersex. For an ally, make sure you and your peers support your LGBT friends and stand up against assault.

What are examples of masculine nouns?

A masculine gender can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! The following sentences are examples of masculine genders from Your Dictionary that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Try to use the term masculine genders today or notice when someone else is using a masculine gender.

  •  He opened the windows, which did little to shed light into the stone room with its masculine, black décor.
  •  The New English Dictionary points out that whereas the old Teutonic type of the word is neuter, corresponding to the Latin numen, in the Christian applications it becomes masculine, and that even where the earlier neuter form is still kept, as in Gothic and Old Norwegian, the construction is masculine.
  •  The whole suggests a masculine rather than a feminine form.
  •  The masculine voice was sharp and commanding.
  •  Taran’s masculine, virile scent lingered in her clothes, on her skin.
  •  Hands urged her back to the bed, and a masculine voice whispered.
  •   and  emanated the masculine potency Love or Mercy () and the feminine potency Justice (), and from the junction of the latter two emanated again the uniting potency Beauty ().
  •  His features were chiseled, masculine and firm, his brow low and slashed with two dark eyebrows.
  •  There was a masculine odor and a smell of tobacco.
  •  They were night and day, her pale beauty and raw emotion contrasting with his heavy, masculine features and dark satisfaction.
  •  And maybe you wouldn’t mind a little… masculine company?
  •  He was so elegant in a suit and so masculine in western attire.
  •  He smelled of rain and night, a masculine musk she found as soothing as his bite.
  •  One, chiefly masculine, had formed round the abbe.
  •  A deep masculine voice commanded so gruffly that she jumped.
  •  His features were masculine and strong.
  •  The sharp masculine voice cut their game short.
  •  The western belt buckle at his waist traced the masculine swing of his stride.
  •  His masculine scent calmed her.
  •  The music was every bit as masculine and warrior as she remembered him.

Overall, the term masculine genders refer to the gender used to refer to males in English. The pronouns used with the mascuilne gender are he, him and his. 

Sources:

  1. masculine: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  2. Use masculine in a sentence | The best 288 masculine sentence examples | Your Dictionary 
  3. Masculine Gender | What Is Masculine Gender in Grammar? | Grammar Monster