toxic masculinity

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a set of cultural norms and expectations associated with masculinity — including the suppression of emotion, the valorisation of aggression and dominance, the denigration of femininity, and the compulsive avoidance of vulnerability — that are harmful both to men themselves and to those around them; the term does not imply that masculinity itself is toxic but targets specific norms that produce harm, distinguishing them from positive expressions of masculine identity