machismo

noun

ma·​chis·​mo mä-ˈchēz-(ˌ)mō How to pronounce machismo (audio)
mə-, 
-ˈkēz- How to pronounce machismo (audio)
-ˈkiz-, 
-ˈchiz-
Synonyms of machismo
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 of machismo

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of machismo in a Sentence

a culture that prizes machismo and has rigid gender roles
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yet in a land where machismo still reigns, it’s considered a rather severe insult. — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 In a savvy deflationary move, Krasner sliced and diced the machismo of Ab Ex into her own configurations. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 Dahi played the bassline with production from Aja Grant to complete the beautifully intoxicating instrumental and Mac got to writing a steamy diary entry about the girl of his dreams, pushing back against rap’s stereotypical machismo. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 Perhaps in another lifetime, or another novel, Ned would find a way to nourish these intimations of benevolence or even love, refusing to let them be spoiled by his own aspirational machismo. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for machismo

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from macho

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of machismo was in 1941

Browse Nearby Words

Machism
machismo
Machmeter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Machismo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machismo. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All