Masculinity is the set of looks, ways of talking, and ways of acting that a society calls typical of men — a strong body, a deep voice, not crying, taking charge, and so on. Though actually these are ideas people teach, not a simple fact of the body. What counts as masculine changes with time and place, and older and younger people often do not agree. The word is more formal than “being a man.” It is about the image of maleness, not about whether someone is male. People argue about it in news and school essays; it is not a kitchen-table word.