mansplaining
/ˈmanˌspleɪnɪŋ/
mansplaining means the act of condescendingly explaining something, particularly by a man to a woman, in order to appear knowledgeable, or from a mistaken presumption that she has an inferior understanding of the topic. It carries an Arena rating of 1439, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mansplaining ranks #209 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,344 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #2,547 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,783 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
mansplaining is pronounced /ˈmanˌspleɪnɪŋ/.
Why “mansplaining” is a great word
The act, typically by a man, of explaining something to someone, especially a woman, in a condescending or patronizing manner, often from an assumption of superior knowledge or the listener's ignorance. A blend of 'man' and 'explaining', from the verb 'mansplain' plus the suffix '-ing' (denoting the action or process); first attested in 2008. Unlike "condescension" (a general attitude of patronizing superiority) or "pedantry" (an excessive focus on minor details), mansplaining is a gendered performance of unrequested tuition, a ritual assertion of dominance disguised as helpfulness. It is the unsolicited lecture on your own field of expertise, the thorough explication of a point you had just made, the patient tutorial on a topic you introduced. It is the sound of a voice filling space not to illuminate but to occupy—a fluent denial of another's competence that speaks volumes about the speaker's unexamined world.
Etymology
Blend of man + explaining, or from mansplain + -ing.
noun
- The act of condescendingly explaining something, particularly by a man to a woman, in order to appear knowledgeable, or from a mistaken presumption that she has an inferior understanding of the topic.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- womansplaining 79% match — Condescending explanation of something by a woman, particularly to a man. vs mansplaining →
- mansplanation 74% match — A condescending explanation given by a male explainer to a female listener, especially to explain something the listener already knows, presuming that she has an inferior understanding of it because she is a woman. vs mansplaining →
- mansplainy 64% match — Engaging in, featuring, or characteristic of mansplaining. vs mansplaining →
- ablesplaining 63% match — The act of a nondisabled person condescendingly explaining disability, especially with the presumption that the disabled lack relevant understanding or authority, or are not in a position to speak for themselves. vs mansplaining →
- femsplainer 61% match — One (especially a woman) who femsplains. vs mansplaining →
- womansplain 61% match — Synonym of femsplain. vs mansplaining →
- cissplaining 60% match — The act of condescendingly explaining transgender issues (as a cis person) to a trans person. vs mansplaining →
- westsplaining 59% match — The act of condescendingly explaining something as a Westerner, especially sociopolitical views of Central and Eastern Europe and its historical and current relations with the Soviet Union and Russia. vs mansplaining →