macho

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish macho (“male”), from Latin masculus. Doublet of male.

adj

1. (informal) Tending to display masculine characteristics, such as domineering, fierceness, bravado, etc., in ways that are showily and histrionically tough.
   macho culture
   I like sports because I enjoy knowing that many of these macho athletes have to vomit before a big game. Any guy who would take a job where you gotta puke first is my kinda guy. 1997, George Carlin, “SPORTS ROUNDUP”, in Brain Droppings, New York: Hyperion Books, page 56
   The government’s “bullish” and “macho” approach to Brexit should not stop Conservative backbenchers from tabling amendments to the crucial repeal bill, a leading Tory remainer has said. 2017-09-04, “End ‘macho’ Brexit posturing, Anna Soubry urges May”, in The Guardian
   Joseph Biden has described Donald Trump’s refusal to wear a mask as “macho”, an insult unlikely to wound a president, who, before his illness, began rallies with speakers blasting the Village People’s 1979 song Macho Man. 2020-10-15, Francine Prose, “Trump's macho bravado is an embarrassment. Yet it puts us all in danger”, in The Guardian

noun

1. A macho person; a person who tends to display masculine characteristics, such as domineering, fierceness, and bravado.
   You can tell a macho, he has a funky walk / His western shirts and leather, always look so boss 1978, “Macho Man”, performed by Village People
2. The striped mullet of California (Mugil cephalus, syn. Mugil mexicanus).
3. A male llama.