menfolk

IPA/ˈmenfəʊk/
IPA/ˈmenfəʊk/

menfolk — noun

1. all the male people within a household, community, or other social unit, seen to

1.名詞B2
釋義

all the male people within a household, community, or other social unit, seen together as a single body

例句

After supper, the menfolk of the village met to plan the harvest festival.

the menfolk of [place]

Amira's menfolk have worked on the same coffee plantation for three generations.

[possessive] menfolk — family group across generations

同義詞
  • the men

    more neutral and common in modern speech; lacks the close-knit family connotation

  • the males

    more formal and biological; can sound clinical or impersonal

反義詞
  • womenfolk

    same register — old-fashioned, referring to the female members of a family or community

  • the women

    neutral register; the straightforward modern equivalent

文法句型

the menfolk of [place/group]

[possessive] menfolk

用法筆記

This sense always refers to a specific group of men connected to a particular family, community, or place. The word is somewhat old-fashioned and is more common in rural or traditional settings than in modern urban speech.

常見錯誤

❌The menfolks arrived early.
✅The menfolk arrived early.
💡'menfolk' is already plural; do not add an -s.
❌Every menfolk brought a dish.
✅All the menfolk brought dishes.
💡'menfolk' cannot be used with singular determiners.

2. men as a broad group, especially when talking about typical male behaviour or ro

2.名詞B2
釋義

men as a broad group, especially when talking about typical male behaviour or roles in contrast to those of women

例句

The menfolk always vanish when there are dishes to wash or beds to make.

informal generalisation about male behaviour

Defne joked that the menfolk would never learn to fold a fitted sheet properly.

同義詞
  • men

    neutral and widely used; fits any register

  • guys

    informal but very common; friendly and modern

  • males

    more formal or scientific in tone

反義詞
  • women

    neutral register; the direct opposite group

  • womenfolk

    same register — old-fashioned, referring to women as a group

文法句型

the menfolk [verb]

用法筆記

This sense generalises about men collectively, often with a slightly humorous or gently critical tone. It sounds dated in serious discussion — modern alternatives such as 'men' or 'guys' are more neutral.

常見錯誤

❌Menfolk is often late.
✅Menfolk are often late.
💡menfolk is always plural and takes a plural verb.
❌The menfolk of the world' is acceptable but sounds very old-fashioned.
✅For global contexts, use 'men' instead of 'menfolk'.