manhood

manhood — noun

1. 成年男性的狀態或時期，從兒童或青少年轉變為成年男性的階段。

1.nounB1
Definition

成年男性的狀態或時期，從兒童或青少年轉變為成年男性的階段。

Example

In many cultures, a special ceremony marks a young man's passage into manhood.

collocation: passage into manhood

Gabriel looked forward to reaching manhood and taking on new responsibilities in his family.

collocation: reach manhood

Common collocations
  • reach manhood
  • passage into manhood
  • attain manhood
  • enter manhood
Synonyms
  • adulthood

    broader term that includes both men and women; manhood is male-specific

  • maturity

    focuses more on emotional or mental development rather than social status

Antonyms
  • boyhood

    the period of being a boy, before manhood

  • childhood

    the general state of being a child

Grammar Patterns

someone's manhood

reach manhood

attain manhood

Usage Note

This sense focuses on the social and biological transition, not on personal qualities. Frequently used in phrases like 'reach manhood', 'attain manhood', and 'passage into manhood'.

2. 被認為是男性典型特質的一組品質，例如勇氣、堅強、自信以及在情感上的克制力。

2.nounB2
Definition

被認為是男性典型特質的一組品質，例如勇氣、堅強、自信以及在情感上的克制力。

Example

Wren felt no need to prove his manhood by taking unnecessary physical risks.

collocation: prove one's manhood

Old-fashioned ideas about manhood often pressure boys to hide their emotions.

Common collocations
  • prove one's manhood
  • a test of manhood
  • true manhood
  • traditional manhood
Synonyms
  • masculinity

    the most direct synonym; 'masculinity' is slightly more formal and is often used in academic or sociological contexts

  • manliness

    nearly identical in meaning, with a slightly more traditional or old-fashioned feel

  • virility

    emphasises sexual vigour and physical strength; overlaps with sense 4

Antonyms
  • effeminacy

    a dated or offensive term; use with caution

Grammar Patterns

someone's manhood

prove one's manhood

a test of manhood

Usage Note

Often carries a critical or reflective tone in modern usage, especially when discussing how traditional gender expectations shape behaviour. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about the status of being an adult male, while this sense is about personality traits.

Common Mistakes

He finally reached manhood at age eighteen.' (confusing with sense 1 — adult status).
He felt he had to prove his manhood by never asking for help.
When the focus is on courage or toughness, use sense 2.

3. 一個國家、社群或群體中的全體成年男性。

3.nounC1
Definition

一個國家、社群或群體中的全體成年男性。

Example

The entire manhood of the village was called to join the defence forces.

collective: the entire manhood of the village

A large portion of the nation's manhood lost their lives during the long conflict.

possessive: the nation's manhood

Common collocations
  • the nation's manhood
  • the country's manhood
  • all the manhood of
Synonyms
  • menfolk

    more informal and often used for smaller groups rather than entire nations

  • male population

    neutral and statistical; lacks the collective identity implied by 'manhood'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the manhood of [country]

[country]'s manhood

Usage Note

Almost always used in formal, historical, or patriotic contexts. The possessive form (e.g. 'the nation's manhood') is the most common pattern. This sense is noticeably old-fashioned in everyday conversation.

4. 男性表達或體驗性感受的能力，包括性慾與性功能。

4.nounC1
Definition

男性表達或體驗性感受的能力，包括性慾與性功能。

Example

The illness affected his manhood and damaged his confidence in relationships.

pattern: illness/manhood/confidence

Doctors can now treat many conditions that could threaten a man's manhood.

collocation: threaten a man's manhood

Common collocations
  • lose one's manhood
  • threaten one's manhood
  • affect someone's manhood
Synonyms
  • virility

    the closest synonym; virility also emphasises sexual energy and potency, often in a positive or admiring way

  • sexual potency

    a more clinical and direct term, used mainly in medical contexts

Antonyms
  • impotence

    the lack of sexual ability, often used in medical contexts

Grammar Patterns

someone's manhood

threaten/affect/rob someone of their manhood

Usage Note

This sense refers to sexual capacity or potency, not the organ itself (distinguish from sense 5). In informal or ambiguous contexts, speakers may intend either sense 4 or 5 — pay attention to whether the focus is on function/ability or anatomy.

Common Mistakes

He injured his manhood in the accident.' (ambiguous — could be sense 4 or 5).
The accident did not affect his manhood, and he later became a father.
Here the context (fatherhood) makes clear this is about ability (sense 4), not the organ.

5. 陰莖的委婉說法，說話者為了避免直接使用「penis」一詞而使用的替代詞。

5.nounC2
Definition

陰莖的委婉說法，說話者為了避免直接使用「penis」一詞而使用的替代詞。

Example

Daniel wrapped a towel around his manhood before walking to the communal shower.

euphemistic use for modesty

The doctor asked the patient whether he had noticed any changes to his manhood.

euphemistic in medical context

Common collocations
  • expose one's manhood
  • cover one's manhood
  • injure one's manhood
Synonyms
  • penis

    the direct anatomical term; no euphemistic shading, more clinical

  • private parts

    a broader euphemism covering the external genitals of either sex

Grammar Patterns

someone's manhood

Usage Note

Euphemistic — people use 'manhood' in place of 'penis' to sound less clinical or more modest. Context is crucial: in a medical discussion the same phrase could mean sense 4 (sexual function) or sense 5 (anatomy); body-modesty or art contexts tend to favour sense 5.

Common Mistakes

He lost his manhood in the war.' (ambiguous — was it his sexual ability or his penis?).
When strong disambiguation is needed, use 'sexual function' for sense 4 or 'penis' for sense 5.

Word family

  • man
    nounA1
  • manly
    adjectiveB2
  • manliness
    nounC1
  • mannish
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All three words relate to qualities associated with men, but they differ in tone and range. 'Masculinity' is the broadest and most neutral term, used in academic psychology, sociology, and everyday talk about gender roles ('toxic masculinity', 'healthy masculinity'). 'Manliness' carries a warmer, more old-fashioned feel — it often implies traditional virtues like courage and honour, and is common in advice literature from past decades. 'Virility' is narrower: it emphasises sexual vigour and physical strength, and overlaps with sense 4 of manhood. Example: a father teaching his son courage appeals to 'manliness'; a doctor discussing testosterone talks about 'virility'; a documentary about gender norms in different cultures analyses 'masculinity'.

masculinitymanlinessvirility

Common collocations

Nouns

  • passage (into manhood)
  • test (of manhood)
  • sign (of manhood)
  • loss (of manhood)

Adverbs

Phrases

  • reach manhood
  • prove one's manhood
  • lose one's manhood
  • step into manhood

Prepositions

  • into (manhood)
  • to (manhood)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Old English 'mann' (meaning 'person' or 'human being', originally gender-neutral) + the suffix '-hād' (meaning 'state' or 'condition', which later became '-hood'). The word originally meant 'the state of being human' in the 13th century, but this meaning is now obsolete. The modern sense of 'adult male status' emerged by the 14th century, and the broader meanings (qualities, collectivity, sexual capacity) developed over the following centuries.