mansplain
/ˈmæn.spleɪn/When a man explains something to a woman in a way that assumes she knows less than he does, often without being asked and in a patronizing tone. The woman usually already understands the topic, sometimes better than the man does.
- He mansplained the recipe to the chef who invented it.
- She got tired of male colleagues mansplaining her own research to her.
- Don't mansplain climate science to the scientist on the panel.
Adinary Nuance
When "mansplain" first appeared, it described a very specific pattern: a man explaining something to a woman who is already an expert in that very thing. Over time, its meaning has widened — many people now use it for any over-confident, unsolicited explaining that feels patronizing, even outside gender dynamics. This drift has made the word more flexible but also more contested; some feel it loses sharpness when used too loosely. It remains an informal, culturally loaded term — in formal writing or corporate communication, words like "condescending" or "patronizing" will land more neutrally and professionally.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- giải thích như đàn ông
- Spanish
- machoexplicación
- Chinese
- 男人式解释
- Japanese
- 居丈高に説明
- Korean
- 남성우월적 설명
Etymology
A blend of "man" and "explain," coined around 2008–2009 after American author Rebecca Solnit's widely shared essay "Men Explain Things to Me." The word spread rapidly through social media and was added to major English dictionaries by the mid-2010s.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is 'mansplain' in the official dictionary?
- Yes. Merriam-Webster and Oxford both added 'mansplain' in the mid-2010s after it became widespread in everyday English use.
- Is it rude or offensive to use the word 'mansplain'?
- It can feel confrontational because it calls out a specific behavior tied to gender. In casual or informal settings it is widely understood and accepted, but in formal or professional writing, 'condescending' is a safer, more neutral choice.
- Can only men mansplain, or can women do it too?
- The word specifically describes a man explaining to a woman in a patronizing way. If a woman does the same thing, you would say she is being condescending or patronizing — not mansplaining.
- What is the difference between explaining something and mansplaining?
- Helpful explaining happens when someone asks for it or clearly needs it. Mansplaining happens when a man explains without being asked, assumes the woman doesn't already know, and ignores signals that she is the real expert.