male
- masculine
‘male’
Male means ‘relating to the sex that cannot have babies’. You can use male as an adjective to describe either people or animals.
A male nurse came to take my temperature.
Male dogs tend to be more aggressive.
You can use male as a noun to refer to an animal.
They protect their territory from other males.
In scientific contexts, male is sometimes used as a noun to refer to men or boys.
The condition affects both males and females.
People sometimes use male to talk about men, in order to avoid using ‘man’ or ‘boy’.
I looked in through the window and saw only males.
The police are looking for a tall white male in his mid-twenties.
‘masculine’
Masculine means ‘typical of men, rather than women’.
He was tall, strong, and very masculine.
They painted the room in dark, masculine colours.
Be careful
Don't use ‘masculine’ to talk about animals.
Don't use ‘masculine’ to talk about animals.