metrosexual

/ˌmɛtɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/

//ˌmɛtɹəˈsɛkʃuəl// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"metrosexual" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“metrosexual” is uncommon English (frequency #85,516 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,516
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A man — typically urban, heterosexual, and affluent — who is concerned with personal appearance, such as personal grooming, fashion, and aesthetics in general.

Corpus desk

Index EN-metrosexual · metrosexual · English

metrosexual · rank #85,516 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,516
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Messerschmitt

Nearest frequency peer: Messerschmitt (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “metrosexual”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “metrosexual” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for metrosexual
PropertyValue
Headwordmetrosexual
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌmɛtɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#85,516
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “metrosexual” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).metrosexualfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Messerschmitt” (#85,514), “Midgley” (#85,521), “mentee” (#85,510). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “metrosexual” is #85,516. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

metrosexual is uncommon English at frequency #85,516 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌmɛtɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

metrosexual has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Blend of metropolitan + heterosexual, equivalent to metro- + -sexual. Coined by British writer Mark Simpson in 1994, it enjoyed a brief popularity in the early 2000s. The correct English form is metrosexual, spelled M-E-T-R-O-S-E-X-U-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A man — typically urban, heterosexual, and affluent — who is concerned with personal appearance, such as personal grooming, fashion, and aesthetics in general.
  2. 2
    A heterosexual man who is seen, sociologically, as having attributes common to homosexuals.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how metrosexual appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Reports of the "death" of my Frankenstein's monster with perfect skin, the metrosexual, have been greatly exaggerated. In Europe and the UK at least, it seems he's alive and looking very well in his lovely new eyeliner.

Etymology

Blend of metropolitan + heterosexual, equivalent to metro- + -sexual. Coined by British writer Mark Simpson in 1994, it enjoyed a brief popularity in the early 2000s.

Synonyms

boulevardierdandy (19th Century)fop (19th Century)dudedoodman about townmasherdandysensualist

This word in other languages

metrosexual(Español)métrosexuel(Français)Metrosexueller(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "metrosexual"?
"metrosexual" is spelled M-E-T-R-O-S-E-X-U-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmɛtɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/.
What does "metrosexual" mean?
As a noun, "metrosexual" means: A man — typically urban, heterosexual, and affluent — who is concerned with personal appearance, such as personal grooming, fashion, and aesthetics in general.
How do you pronounce "metrosexual"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metrosexual" is /ˌmɛtɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "metrosexual"?
Blend of metropolitan + heterosexual, equivalent to metro- + -sexual. Coined by British writer Mark Simpson in 1994, it enjoyed a brief popularity in the early 2000s. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "metrosexual", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

misanthropy#85,525overgrazing#85,610overmatched#85,611overworking#85,612

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list