Adjective
He wasn't manly enough to fight.
He has a deep, manly voice.
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Adjective
And women who tried to build muscle were seen as manly or unnatural.—Danielle Friedman, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025 After a young man is possessed in a séance by the spirits of kamikaze pilots:
His usual rather weak features had taken on a manly, resolute look.—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 This mixture of soapy and manly is the quality that makes the Sheridan-verse so weird and interesting as a cultural artifact; its popularity could reflect its efficacy in helping masculine men satisfy their need to feel big feelings about the world.—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024 That shooting isn’t very well known, but it’s been a talking point at the convention this week as conservatives seek to tie Trump to Roosevelt, who carefully cultivated a manly image.—Madeleine Heim, Austin American-Statesman, 20 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for manly
Word History
Etymology
Adverb
Middle English manli "befitting a man, bravely, resolutely, courteously," going back to Old English manliche, from manman entry 1 + -liche-ly entry 2
Adjective
Middle English manli "human, male, brave, resolute, noble," from manman entry 1 + -li-ly entry 1
First Known Use
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
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