Meanings
plural herbivore men
- neologismA man, especially a Japanese man, who eschews romantic relationships.
These “herbivore men,” as they are known in English, are said to be ambivalent about pursuing either women or conventional success.
2018 November 13, Kate Julian, “Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 12 Jan 2019Synonyms: grass-eater
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA man, especially a Japanese man, who eschews romantic relationships.
Origin
- Japanese草食男子“herbivorous/grass-eating male”
- Englishherbivore man
Calque of Japanese 草食男子 (sōshoku danshi, “herbivorous/grass-eating male”). Original term coined by Maki Fukasawa in an article on the website Nikkei Business Online on 13 October 2006.
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
herbivore man. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/herbivore%20man
“herbivore man.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/herbivore%20man. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “herbivore man,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/herbivore%20man.
Source: herbivore man on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.