Mansplaining - Revision history

Robert Brockway at 13:45, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T13:45:53Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:45, 2 February 2026
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	{{Kim Goodwin Flowchart}}		{{Kim Goodwin Flowchart}}

		⚫	{{Mansplaining}}

	{{External Links}}		{{External Links}}
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	{{Featured}}		{{Featured}}
	{{Glossary}}		{{Glossary}}
⚫	{{Mansplaining}}
	{{WP}}		{{WP}}

Robert Brockway: Replaced content with "A self-referential [[meme about mansplaining.]] {{Kim Goodwin Flowchart}} {{External Links}} [https://avoiceformen.com/featured/a-mansplain-of-feminism-femsplained-2/ A Voice for Men] [http://archive.is/ABFdZ BuzzFeed makes ridiculous claims about mansplaining] {{Featured}} {{Glossary}} {{Mansplaining}} {{WP}} {{References}}"

2026-02-02T13:44:55Z

Replaced content with "thumb|A self-referential [[meme about mansplaining.]] {{Kim Goodwin Flowchart}} {{External Links}} *[https://avoiceformen.com/featured/a-mansplain-of-feminism-femsplained-2/ A Voice for Men] *[http://archive.is/ABFdZ BuzzFeed makes ridiculous claims about mansplaining] {{Featured}} {{Glossary}} {{Mansplaining}} {{WP}} {{References}}"

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:44, 2 February 2026
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	{{Kim Goodwin Flowchart}}		{{Kim Goodwin Flowchart}}

	[[Mansplaining]] is an example of [[casual misandry]].

	In its original use, mansplaining differed from other forms of condescension in that it was said to be rooted in the assumption that a man is likely to be more knowledgeable than a woman. However, it has come to be used more broadly, often applied when a man allegedly takes a condescending tone in an explanation to anyone, regardless of the age or gender of the intended recipients: a "man 'splaining" can be delivered to any audience.

	In 2013 Dictionary.com said it was adding both mansplain and the suffix (libfix) -splain to its dictionary. Its announcement read in part: "In addition to being creative, this term, particularly the -splaining part, has proven to be incredibly robust and useful as a combining form in 2013." Mansplaining has also engendered parallel constructions such as womansplaining, whitesplaining, rightsplaining, and goysplaining.

	As the word became more popular, several commentators complained that misappropriation had diluted its original meaning. Joshua Sealy-Harrington and Tom McLaughlin wrote in newspaper The Globe and Mail that the term has been used as an ad hominem to silence debate.

	In 2010, it was named by the New York Times as one of its "Words of the Year". The word was nominated in 2012 for the American Dialect Society's "most creative word of the year" honor. In 2014 it was added to the online Oxford Dictionaries.

	A phone line has been set up in Sweden so that women can report male colleagues for [[mansplaining]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W45STzV7BUs</ref>

	The [[mainstream media]] routinely use the term.

	{{H2\|Origin and Usage}}

	The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book since the chance of randomly encountering the author when discussing a particular book is vanishingly small. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".

	A month later the word appeared in a comment on the social network LiveJournal. It became popular among feminist bloggers before entering mainstream commentary. Solnit ascribed the phenomenon of mansplaining to a combination of "overconfidence and cluelessness". Lily Rothman, of The Atlantic, defined it as "explaining without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, often done by a man to a woman". Solnit later published Men Explain Things to Me (2014), a collection of seven essays on social issues and human rights themes. Women, including professionals and experts, are routinely seen or treated as less credible than men, she wrote in the title essay, and their insights, or even legal testimony are dismissed unless validated by a man in some countries.

	Solnit argued that this was one symptom of a widespread phenomenon that:

	<blockquote>
	"keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men's unsupported overconfidence."
	</blockquote>

	{{External Links}}		{{External Links}}

Robert Brockway at 13:43, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T13:43:21Z

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	[[File:GrKCd26W0AAjsQU.jpeg\|thumb\|A self-referential [[meme]] about [[mansplaining]].]]		[[File:GrKCd26W0AAjsQU.jpeg\|thumb\|A self-referential [[meme]] about [[mansplaining]].]]

			{{Kim Goodwin Flowchart}}
	[[File:GrIRvF2X0AA7hGI.jpeg\|thumb\|Without being asked, and with no sense of irony, [[Kim Goodwin]] made a flow chart to explain [[mansplaining]] to men.]]

	[[Mansplaining]] is an example of [[casual misandry]].		[[Mansplaining]] is an example of [[casual misandry]].

Robert Brockway at 13:41, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T13:41:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:41, 2 February 2026
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	[[File:GrKCd26W0AAjsQU.jpeg\|thumb\|A self-referential [[meme]] about [[mansplaining]].]]		[[File:GrKCd26W0AAjsQU.jpeg\|thumb\|A self-referential [[meme]] about [[mansplaining]].]]

	[[File:GrIRvF2X0AA7hGI.jpeg\|thumb\|Without being asked, and with no sense of irony, [[Kim Goodwin]] made a flow chart.]]		[[File:GrIRvF2X0AA7hGI.jpeg\|thumb\|Without being asked, and with no sense of irony, [[Kim Goodwin]] made a flow chart to explain [[mansplaining]] to men.]]

	[[Mansplaining]] is an example of [[casual misandry]].		[[Mansplaining]] is an example of [[casual misandry]].

Robert Brockway at 13:40, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T13:40:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:40, 2 February 2026
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	The [[mainstream media]] routinely use the term.		The [[mainstream media]] routinely use the term.

	== Origin and Usage ==		{{H2\|Origin and Usage}}

	The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book since the chance of randomly encountering the author when discussing a particular book is vanishingly small. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".		The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book since the chance of randomly encountering the author when discussing a particular book is vanishingly small. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".
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	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

	== External Links ==		{{External Links}}

	*[https://avoiceformen.com/featured/a-mansplain-of-feminism-femsplained-2/ A Voice for Men]		*[https://avoiceformen.com/featured/a-mansplain-of-feminism-femsplained-2/ A Voice for Men]
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	{{WP}}		{{WP}}

	== References ==		{{References}}

Robert Brockway: /* Origin and Usage */

2025-05-30T00:46:01Z

Origin and Usage

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:46, 30 May 2025
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	== Origin and Usage ==		== Origin and Usage ==

	The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book since the chance of encountering the author when discussing a particular book is vanishingly small. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".		The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book since the chance of randomly encountering the author when discussing a particular book is vanishingly small. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".

	A month later the word appeared in a comment on the social network LiveJournal. It became popular among feminist bloggers before entering mainstream commentary. Solnit ascribed the phenomenon of mansplaining to a combination of "overconfidence and cluelessness". Lily Rothman, of The Atlantic, defined it as "explaining without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, often done by a man to a woman". Solnit later published Men Explain Things to Me (2014), a collection of seven essays on social issues and human rights themes. Women, including professionals and experts, are routinely seen or treated as less credible than men, she wrote in the title essay, and their insights, or even legal testimony are dismissed unless validated by a man in some countries.		A month later the word appeared in a comment on the social network LiveJournal. It became popular among feminist bloggers before entering mainstream commentary. Solnit ascribed the phenomenon of mansplaining to a combination of "overconfidence and cluelessness". Lily Rothman, of The Atlantic, defined it as "explaining without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, often done by a man to a woman". Solnit later published Men Explain Things to Me (2014), a collection of seven essays on social issues and human rights themes. Women, including professionals and experts, are routinely seen or treated as less credible than men, she wrote in the title essay, and their insights, or even legal testimony are dismissed unless validated by a man in some countries.

Robert Brockway: /* Origin and Usage */

2025-05-30T00:45:01Z

Origin and Usage

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:45, 30 May 2025
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	== Origin and Usage ==		== Origin and Usage ==

	The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".		The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book since the chance of encountering the author when discussing a particular book is vanishingly small. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".

	A month later the word appeared in a comment on the social network LiveJournal. It became popular among feminist bloggers before entering mainstream commentary. Solnit ascribed the phenomenon of mansplaining to a combination of "overconfidence and cluelessness". Lily Rothman, of The Atlantic, defined it as "explaining without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, often done by a man to a woman". Solnit later published Men Explain Things to Me (2014), a collection of seven essays on social issues and human rights themes. Women, including professionals and experts, are routinely seen or treated as less credible than men, she wrote in the title essay, and their insights, or even legal testimony are dismissed unless validated by a man in some countries.		A month later the word appeared in a comment on the social network LiveJournal. It became popular among feminist bloggers before entering mainstream commentary. Solnit ascribed the phenomenon of mansplaining to a combination of "overconfidence and cluelessness". Lily Rothman, of The Atlantic, defined it as "explaining without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, often done by a man to a woman". Solnit later published Men Explain Things to Me (2014), a collection of seven essays on social issues and human rights themes. Women, including professionals and experts, are routinely seen or treated as less credible than men, she wrote in the title essay, and their insights, or even legal testimony are dismissed unless validated by a man in some countries.

Robert Brockway: /* Origin and Usage */

2025-05-30T00:39:38Z

Origin and Usage

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:39, 30 May 2025
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	== Origin and Usage ==		== Origin and Usage ==

	The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man ~~has~~ apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".		The term mansplaining was inspired by an essay, "[[Men Explain Things to Me: Facts Didn't Get in Their Way]]", written by author [[Rebecca Solnit]] and published on TomDispatch.com on 13 April 2008. In the essay, Solnit told an anecdote about a man at a party who said he had heard she had written some books. She began to talk about her most recent, on Eadweard Muybridge, whereupon the man allegedly cut her off and asked if she had "heard about the very important Muybridge book that came out this year". The man had apparently not considered that it might be Solnit's book. Solnit did not use the word mansplaining in the essay, but she described the phenomenon as "something every woman knows".

	A month later the word appeared in a comment on the social network LiveJournal. It became popular among feminist bloggers before entering mainstream commentary. Solnit ascribed the phenomenon of mansplaining to a combination of "overconfidence and cluelessness". Lily Rothman, of The Atlantic, defined it as "explaining without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, often done by a man to a woman". Solnit later published Men Explain Things to Me (2014), a collection of seven essays on social issues and human rights themes. Women, including professionals and experts, are routinely seen or treated as less credible than men, she wrote in the title essay, and their insights, or even legal testimony are dismissed unless validated by a man in some countries.		A month later the word appeared in a comment on the social network LiveJournal. It became popular among feminist bloggers before entering mainstream commentary. Solnit ascribed the phenomenon of mansplaining to a combination of "overconfidence and cluelessness". Lily Rothman, of The Atlantic, defined it as "explaining without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, often done by a man to a woman". Solnit later published Men Explain Things to Me (2014), a collection of seven essays on social issues and human rights themes. Women, including professionals and experts, are routinely seen or treated as less credible than men, she wrote in the title essay, and their insights, or even legal testimony are dismissed unless validated by a man in some countries.

Robert Brockway at 05:08, 29 May 2025

2025-05-29T05:08:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:08, 29 May 2025
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	{{Featured}}		{{Featured}}
			{{Glossary}}
	{{Mansplaining}}		{{Mansplaining}}
	{{WP}}		{{WP}}

Robert Brockway at 05:08, 29 May 2025

2025-05-29T05:08:22Z

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	*[http://archive.is/ABFdZ BuzzFeed makes ridiculous claims about mansplaining]		*[http://archive.is/ABFdZ BuzzFeed makes ridiculous claims about mansplaining]

	{{~~Draft~~}}		{{Featured}}
	{{Mansplaining}}		{{Mansplaining}}
	{{WP}}		{{WP}}