Meanings
- uncountableThe use of men with attractive and impressive physiques in advertising.
Other hunkvertising campaigns make more of an effort.
2013 October 7, David Gianatasio, “Hunkvertising: The Objectification of Men in Advertising”, in Adweek3 more examples
In his book Love, Sex & Tragedy: Why Classics Matters, Professor Simon Goldhill argues that images of the perfect body, defined by its "well-muscled torso, the elegant symmetry of form," stem from Ancient Greece, thousands of years ago. Even then, it seems, hunkvertising was a force.
2015 August 18, Benjamin Caven-Roberts, “'Hunkvertising' is the trend advertisers are obsessed with”, in Business InsiderBut where hunkvertising was once the exception, it seems it has now become the norm.
2016 February 2, Dan Jude, “It's time Ken was given a dad bod”, in The TelegraphDavid Gandy for Marks & Spencer is a classic of the hunkvertising genre.
2016 December 25, Patrick Hosking, “From Article 50 to zero bound, key words on the City's streets”, in The Times
Origin
Blend of hunk + advertising.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
hunkvertising. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunkvertising
“hunkvertising.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunkvertising. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hunkvertising,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunkvertising.
Source: hunkvertising on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.