anti-male
UK[ˌænti ˈmeɪl]US[ˌænti ˈmeɪl, ˌæntaɪ-]
adj
Opposed to or prejudiced against men or boys; hostile to males.
Morpheme Breakdown
anti
male
anti
against
male
male
Etymology
The word is a modern English compound, transparently formed by combining the Greek-derived prefix anti- with the Latinate adjective male. The prefix anti-, originating from the Greek preposition antí meaning "against" or "opposite," has been a prolific formative in English for creating terms denoting opposition or contrast. The root male descends from the Latin masculus, which itself is a diminutive of mas (male). The compound anti-male follows a standard pattern in English for constructing adjectives that describe an antagonistic stance, paralleling formations like anti-female or anti-establishment. Its meaning is directly logical from its components: being "against males."
Analysis
Structure: anti (against) + male (male)
- anti: From Greek, via Latin and French. A prefix meaning "against," "opposite of," or "preventing."
- male: From Latin masculus (male, masculine). In English, it functions as a noun or adjective denoting the sex that typically produces sperm.
Examples
The article was criticized for its anti-male bias.
He accused the policy of being fundamentally anti-male in its assumptions.
Such rhetoric is often dismissed as simply anti-male sentiment.