unmanly

[ uhn-man-lee ]

adjective

, un·man·li·er, un·man·li·est.

1. not manly; not characteristic of or befitting a man; weak, timid, or cowardly.
2. effeminate.

unmanly

/ ʌnˈmænlɪ /

adjective

1. not masculine or virile
2. ignoble, cowardly, or dishonourable

Derived Forms

• unˈmanliness, noun

Other Words From

• un·manli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unmanly¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; un- ¹, manly

Example Sentences

Refusing animal products is seen as "weaker, homosexual, and unmanly," according to vegan and vegetarian respondents to a 2023 survey.

From Salon

They were prejudiced against Jews, whom they viewed as clannish grinds — and unmanly, morally deficient, grasping and unattractive to boot.

From Salon

Billy Briggs’s “The Sissy Song,” released in 1951, proposed killing oneself as the adequate response to such unmanly habits as wearing the “pretty suede shoes that a lot of those sissies buy” and eating salad.

From New York Times

“A lot of them just experienced what was required in school as being unmanly,” he said, most noticeably among young men whose parents were low-income or had not been to college.

From Seattle Times

It might be unmanly, but he couldn’t help it, and I am glad of it.

From Literature

Related Words

• unmanful
• unmanlike