Define Mansplain Meaning

Essentially when a man assumes a woman (sometimes a man) lacks knowledge in an area where she (or he) is known to be an expert

Quite regularly, during team meetings in front of every else, when a woman who is reporting on her own project work with which she is most experienced with and has worked in the field for over twenty years, another peer always feels the need to "complete" her sentences mid-way, talks over her, hijacks her time to shine, taking over the explanations, progress report, issue deconstruction, evaluation, or review, thinking that even though they only have one fifth of the experience, knows little to nothing of her project work in detail, they must though have the knowledge to report on the woman's work better than she can.

To mansplain is for a man to talk to a woman in a condescending tone that implies the man thinks of himself as smarter or superior in some way to the woman which he is not. Some people will use this term unnecessarily when a point they made has been proven incorrect and they have nothing else to say, but this is not, in fact, the correct use of the word. It is only correct to say a man is mansplaining if they have interrupted a woman or is explaining something to her which she did not ask him to explain or she has more experience on. An argument is often not a correct time to use the term “mansplain”

To explain in a condescending, oversimplified, and often inaccurate manner, without regard to the fact that the explainee knows more than the explainer, usually done by a man to a woman.

Not all condescending explanations are mansplaining; the term does not apply when the man in question is indeed more knowledgeable about the topic than the woman.

Mansplaining usually occurs on the topic of sexism, feminism, or gender inequality, but not always. For example, a male programmer could mansplain coding to a woman, despite the woman having more qualifications and writing better-quality code.

Related terms include whitesplain, straightsplain, and cisplain. The overarching thread is someone privileged explaining something to someone less privileged, about a topic the explainer knows less about.

Mansplain is often referred to when someone extensively explains something that the other party already has knowledge of, often in a condescending manner. The term is a combination of the words "man" and "explain" due to the commonality of men doing this. However, it can be used more broadly than just with men. This term is a negative term and is usually used by women.

An attempt by men/boys to help women/girls and provide information they believe that the women/girls need. Usually, the intent it to be helpful, not condescending; however, the effect is condescending. As a result, a great deal of controversy and anger exists; as with many -isms, it is the effect and not the intent that results in the definition. In addition, with many -isms, those guilty of mansplaining react with anger, derision, and ridicule rather than considering it a teachable moment.

verb, informal
(For a man) to feel a need to explain something basic in great detail to a woman, in a condescending manner, based purely on the expectation that she is unfamiliar with the subject matter because she is female.

Occasionally done as a well meaning, but ill aimed attempt to pick someone up.

When a man explains something to a woman, uninvited, about a topic she is either equally qualified or more qualified to talk on.

A male doctor explaining something to a female patient, for example, would not be mansplaining.

Examples: The guy who tried to tell Margaret Atwood about "The Handmaid's Tale", the guy who told Katie Mack, who has a PHD in Astrophysics, to "learn some science" because he thought climate change was a hoax, the man who tried to correct a woman about how to pronounce her own name correctly, an Englishman correcting a Welsh woman on her Welsh pronunciation.

See also Dunning-Kruger effect.

When someone "explains" something to another person about a topic they are already familiar with/understand. This is typically done in a condescending manner under the pretense that the speaker knows more about the topic than who they are speaking to, i.e. they are subordinate.

When a man explains something to a woman in a patronizing tone as if the woman is too emotional and illogical to understand.