beta male

American  

[bey-tuh meyl, bee-] / ˈbeɪ tə ˈmeɪl, ˈbi- /

noun

1. a male animal having the second-highest rank in a dominance hierarchy.

   In the present study, social interactions between beta males were analyzed in groups of captive baboons.

2. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging. a man who is perceived to be weak, mild-mannered, and unimpressive.

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Etymology

Origin of beta male

First recorded in 1970–75 beta male for def. 1; 2005–10 beta male for def. 2

Example Sentences

Stearns’s film revolves around the dictionary definition of a beta male in accountant Casey Davies, the kind of ineffectual nebbish who does nothing when he’s openly mocked by French tourists unaware that he can understand them.

From The Guardian

Earlier this year Vulture examined what it called the “soft boys of Netflix”, while The Hollywood Reporter ran a story last March on “The Triumph of the Beta Male”, featuring the openly nerdy stars of TV’s Silicon Valley on the magazine’s widely panned cover.

From The Guardian

"He should be happy that he married up and rich and stop parading his myriad of flaws to the embarrassment of all. You know 'The View,' I believe, really provided the kill shot and turned him into a schoolboy whose jacket did not fit. And a beta male who will write about it in his dream journal when he gets home. Women know this guy from college. ... He lures you in the dorm with the illusion of depth, collection of campus and poetry," Gutfeld said.

From Fox News

The screenshot of a tweet saluted Irish immigrants, saying: “Shout out to all of the Irish people who’s families were enslaved, came to the US for a better life, worked in factories and then got called ‘privileged’ & blamed for slavery by beta male, soy drinking hypocrites & depressed feminists.”

From Seattle Times

A sad, honest man from the F.B.I. — a beta male despite his considerable physical skills — is forced to partner with a charismatic, rules-breaking woman from the C.I.A.

From New York Times