Meaning & use
machismo
A strong or exaggerated sense of masculine pride, often shown through toughness, dominance, or aggression.
See it in a sentence
His constant need to prove his machismo made him refuse any help lifting the boxes.
Critics argued the film glorified machismo instead of examining its harmful effects.
A note on using this word
Machismo, borrowed from Spanish, usually carries a critical or negative tone in English, unlike simply calling someone 'masculine'.
Words with a similar meaning
macho pridevirility
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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