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Definition of mansplain

mansplain

/ˈmæn.spleɪn/
man · splain
Past Simple:mansplained
•
Past Participle:mansplained
•
Present Participle:mansplaining
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mansplain Lexical Profile

mansplain Game Scores & Validity

• verb

1

To explain something to someone, characteristically a man to a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending, patronizing, or overconfident.

Example

"The engineer grew frustrated when the junior intern tried to mansplain the software architecture she had designed herself."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for mansplain
Antonyms
View all antonyms for mansplain

Word Nuance & Usage

Used informally and with a strongly pejorative connotation to critique gender-based condescension in conversation.

• Nearby Words

mansfield
mansion
manslaughter
mansplain
mansplainer
mansplaining
manspread

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the late 2000s as a portmanteau of 'man' and the informal truncation 'splain' (from 'explain'), following the popularity of Rebecca Solnit's 2008 essay 'Men Explain Things to Me'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Mansplain. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/mansplain
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