machismo

noun

ma·​chis·​mo mä-ˈchēz-(ˌ)mō 

mə-,

-ˈkēz- 

-ˈkiz-,

-ˈchiz-

1

: a strong sense of masculine pride : an exaggerated masculinity

athletes displaying their machismo

2

: an exaggerated or exhilarating sense of power or strength

the administration's machismo in pushing for a new treaty

Synonyms

• macho
• manhood
• manliness
• masculinity
• virility

Examples of machismo in a Sentence

a culture that prizes machismo and has rigid gender roles

Recent Examples on the Web

By comparison, even peers like Iggy or Lou Reed were willing to fall back on tough-guy machismo when addressing women, in ways that Johansen had absolutely no use for. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025

The kiss and the ensuing fallout prompted a moment of reckoning in Spain, where progress in gender equality — women’s soccer in particular — have run up against a culture of machismo. —José Bautista, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

Paquita la del Barrio, the Mexican singer-songwriter beloved for her blistering critiques of men and machismo culture, died Monday. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2025

There was more this machismo kind of attitude that everyone had. —Cathy Applefeld Olson, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from macho

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1