man crush
Medium (common in informal speech, media, and online discourse)Informal, Colloquial, Slang
Definition
Meaning
An intense feeling of admiration, liking, or platonic affection that one man has for another man, often involving an appreciation of their qualities, appearance, or accomplishments.
Used more broadly to describe a non-sexual, enthusiastic admiration by anyone for a male figure; sometimes used humorously to describe a woman's strong admiration for a man's non-romantic qualities.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term explicitly denotes a non-romantic, non-sexual admiration between individuals, typically men. It distinguishes intense admiration from romantic or sexual attraction. It often carries a humorous or light-hearted tone.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Slightly more common in American English, but well-understood and used in British English. The concept is identical.
Connotations
Equally informal and playful in both variants. No significant difference in connotation.
Frequency
Perhaps more frequently encountered in American pop culture and media discourse, but firmly part of modern informal UK English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
to have a man crush on [someone]to be someone's man crushto develop a man crushVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Man crush Monday (MCM) (social media)”
- “to have a man crush”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might be used very informally to describe admiration for a colleague's professional skills or leadership style (e.g., 'I have a bit of a man crush on our new CFO's strategic mind').
Academic
Extremely rare. Not used in formal academic writing.
Everyday
Very common in informal conversation among friends, in social media, and in entertainment journalism.
Technical
Not applicable.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- His man crush on the footballer was evident from his enthusiastic match commentary.
- It's not weird, it's just a healthy man crush on a brilliant historian.
American English
- He's got a serious man crush on the lead guitarist of that band.
- My man crush on that chef started after I watched his documentary series.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I like David Beckham. He is good at football. (Context for man crush)
- My brother has a man crush on his football coach. He always talks about his training methods.
- I'll admit it, I've developed a bit of a man crush on the new project lead; his problem-solving skills are incredible.
- The journalist's profile of the actor was so effusive it read like a public declaration of a man crush, praising everything from his craft to his philanthropy.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'crush' as a strong feeling. A 'man crush' is that strong, positive feeling directed at another man, but with a 'just mates' filter on it.
Conceptual Metaphor
ADMIRATION IS A PHYSICAL FORCE (crush). GENDER SPECIFICITY IS A MODIFIER (man).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating literally as "мужская влюбленность" which implies romantic love. Closer concepts: "обожание (другого мужчины)", "геройское поклонение", informal "фанатеть (от другого парня)".
Common Mistakes
- Using it to describe romantic/sexual attraction between men (that would be just a 'crush').
- Using it in formal contexts.
- Applying it to a woman's romantic feelings (just a 'crush').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'man crush' MOST appropriately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the term is specifically coined to denote non-sexual, platonic admiration. It's about appreciating someone's qualities, not sexual attraction.
Yes, though it's less common. When used by a woman, it typically means she has a strong, non-romantic admiration for a man's character, skills, or style, often in a humorous way to emphasize it's not a romantic 'crush'.
A 'man crush' is a one-sided feeling of admiration. A 'bromance' is a close, affectionate, platonic friendship between two men. A man crush might lead to or exist within a bromance, but they are not the same.
No, it is strictly informal, colloquial, and best used in casual conversation, social media, or informal writing.