Machismo vs. Macho — What's the Difference?

Machismo (; Spanish: [maˈtʃismo]; Portuguese: [maˈʃiʒmu]; from Spanish and Portuguese "macho", male) is the sense of being "manly" and self-reliant, the concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". It is associated with "a man's responsibility to provide for, protect, and defend his family".

Characterized or motivated by machismo

Strong or aggressive masculine pride

Machismo.

A strong or exaggerated sense of traditional masculinity placing great value on physical courage, virility, domination of women, and aggressiveness.

A person characterized by or exhibiting machismo.

An exaggerated interest or devotion to something, often accompanied by a sense of superiority

Any of various massive dark or very faint objects, including black holes, brown dwarf stars, or large planets, that may exist in galactic halos and make up at least part of the dark matter that is hypothesized to pervade the universe.

Exaggerated masculinity

(informal) Tending to display masculine characteristics, such as domineering, fierceness, bravado, etc., in ways that are showily and histrionically tough.

A strong, and by some considered exaggerated, sense of manly pride, associated with an attitude that the proper expression of masculinity includes virility, courage, and an entitlement to dominate, especially over women.

A macho person; a person who tends to display masculine characteristics, such as domineering, fierceness, and bravado.

An exaggerated sense of power entitling one to dominate others; as, the civilian authorities occasionally need to rein in the military's machismo.

The striped mullet of California (Mugil cephalus, syn. Mugil mexicanus).

Exaggerated masculinity

A male llama.

The striped mullet of California (Mugil cephalus, syn. Mugil Mexicanus).

A form of dark matter in distant outer space unobservable except by its gravitational effect, and believed to be at least part of the "missing matter" which is unobservable as ordinary stars, but helps keep galaxies from flying apart; MACHOS are massive but compact objects such as neutron stars or brown dwarfs, which can be detected (with difficulty) by their effect in bending light from distant light sources, such as other galaxies. This can occur if by rare chance a MACHO passes in front of a more distant visible object, and the light from that object becomes temporarily amplified by the MACHO acting as a gravitational lens. Some MACHOs have been discovered in the halo of dark matter that surrounds our milky way. It is, however, questionable whether the amount of such matter is sufficient to explain the ability of galaxies to stay together in spite of rotation rates that would cause them to fly apart if the only matter present was that observable as visible stars.

Manly, especially with an assertive and domineering manner toward women.

Used of men; markedly masculine in appearance or manner