Mansplaining, an annoyance that has likely existed as long as early communication methods, is a significant frustration for many women worldwide. Nothing is quite as irritating as someone interrupting you, believing they know better when, in most cases, they don’t.Although this behavior can be infuriating, it has inspired countlessmemeswe enjoy today. So, let’s dig into the world of chuckles and explore our collection of the funniest mansplaining memes, highlighting the humorous side of men explaining things to the world.This post may includeaffiliate links.

Mansplaining, an annoyance that has likely existed as long as early communication methods, is a significant frustration for many women worldwide. Nothing is quite as irritating as someone interrupting you, believing they know better when, in most cases, they don’t.

Although this behavior can be infuriating, it has inspired countlessmemeswe enjoy today. So, let’s dig into the world of chuckles and explore our collection of the funniest mansplaining memes, highlighting the humorous side of men explaining things to the world.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

Mansplaining meme showing Neil McGourty’s tweet about the awkwardness of explaining the term to a woman.

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Meme comparing mansplaining to a toddler excitedly explaining dinosaurs, described as condescending yet amusing.

Billboard at the University of Adelaide shows a man explaining to unimpressed women, captioned “Masters in Mansplaining."

What Is Mansplaining?According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, mansplaining is a term used to describe when a man explains something to a woman with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about the topic (1).Not all men are mansplainers, but many do it at some point — usually unintentionally. Those who actively go out of their way to talk over a woman because they think they know better may also be guilty of sexism.Such men incorrectly assume they have superior intelligence to their female counterparts. Fortunately, most men don’t think this way and respect the women around them.

What Is Mansplaining?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, mansplaining is a term used to describe when a man explains something to a woman with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about the topic (1).

Not all men are mansplainers, but many do it at some point — usually unintentionally. Those who actively go out of their way to talk over a woman because they think they know better may also be guilty of sexism.

Such men incorrectly assume they have superior intelligence to their female counterparts. Fortunately, most men don’t think this way and respect the women around them.

Sculpture titled “Man-Splaining” with a man leaning toward a seated woman, highlighted in a mansplaining meme tweet by Jerry Saltz.

Mansplaining meme with a tweet joking about a wife using “mansplaining” incorrectly.

What Are the Origins of Mansplaining?

Mansplaining has existed for a long time; many women would likely argue it’s existed since the emergence of the language. However, the first description of the phenomenon belongs to Rebecca Solnit and a portion of her essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” published on April 13, 2008, in the LA Times (2).

While the word doesn’t appear, the essay evaluates how men often arrogantly speak to women. In 2014, she published her piece alongside six other essays in a book of the same title.

Mansplaining meme featuring Ed Solomon’s tweet about explaining Men in Black origins, despite writing the screenplay.

Woman yelling “STOP MANSPLAINING” and confused cat responding “DID YOU JUST ASSUME MY GENDER?” in a mansplaining meme.

Examples of MansplainingThere have been many historical examples that predate the term and Solnit’s essay on mansplaining. One such written example is John Adams’ letter to his wife in 1776, where he clearly shows that he thinks he understands better about being a wife than she does — cue eye roll. It was a response to her expressed views on husbands having too much control over their wives (The Atlantic, 2012) (5).Another example of mansplaining appears in an article from The Atlantic written in 1903 (6). The (male) author was critical of the suffragette movement and claimed to speak to the women who did not support it. Again, the author’s tone suggests he knew more about women’s experiences than actual women.Social networking sites like X (formerly Twitter) and forums such as Mumsnet are rife with personal stories about everyday instances of mansplainers.For example, one woman claimed that a male colleague wrongly corrected her pronunciation of a sports star’s name from her home country, where she grew up and spoke the native language (Mumsnet, 2024) (7).

Examples of Mansplaining

There have been many historical examples that predate the term and Solnit’s essay on mansplaining. One such written example is John Adams’ letter to his wife in 1776, where he clearly shows that he thinks he understands better about being a wife than she does — cue eye roll. It was a response to her expressed views on husbands having too much control over their wives (The Atlantic, 2012) (5).

Another example of mansplaining appears in an article from The Atlantic written in 1903 (6). The (male) author was critical of the suffragette movement and claimed to speak to the women who did not support it. Again, the author’s tone suggests he knew more about women’s experiences than actual women.

Social networking sites like X (formerly Twitter) and forums such as Mumsnet are rife with personal stories about everyday instances of mansplainers.

For example, one woman claimed that a male colleague wrongly corrected her pronunciation of a sports star’s name from her home country, where she grew up and spoke the native language (Mumsnet, 2024) (7).

Medieval couple mansplaining meme, man explains Trebuchet vs catapult with text above them.

Kim Goodwin’s tweet featuring a mansplaining meme with a flowchart titled “Am I mansplaining?” to guide users.

How to Deal With Mansplaining: A Womens GuideToday, mansplaining has become a grievance for many women at work and at home. While most men don’t intentionally set out to mansplain, few things will annoy a woman faster than a man explaining something she knows.One approach to take with a mansplainer is to simply ignore them. This is particularly effective if the issue doesn’t happen regularly. If it becomes a recurring theme, you can try some other methods.For example, Forbes recommends that you firmly but politely tell someone you appreciate their input but don’t require additional information. They also suggest using your voice and speak louder than your male colleague (8).Using humor effectively alongside these techniques works well, too, although be careful that your message remains clear. Ultimately, make your thoughts known so the man recognizes how you feel.If dealing with repeat offenders in a professional setting, it may help to start a record of who mansplains and what theysaid. It may also be worth involving your HR department (Verywell Mind) (9).Communication is key to successful relationships. When dealing with someone who mansplains at home, discussing and drawing your partner’s attention to when they mansplain is often enough. To reiterate, most men have no idea they do it in the first place; they may just need a small prompt to change their behavior. Meanwhile, others may require a billboard with flashing lights.

How to Deal With Mansplaining: A Womens Guide

Today, mansplaining has become a grievance for many women at work and at home. While most men don’t intentionally set out to mansplain, few things will annoy a woman faster than a man explaining something she knows.

One approach to take with a mansplainer is to simply ignore them. This is particularly effective if the issue doesn’t happen regularly. If it becomes a recurring theme, you can try some other methods.

For example, Forbes recommends that you firmly but politely tell someone you appreciate their input but don’t require additional information. They also suggest using your voice and speak louder than your male colleague (8).

Using humor effectively alongside these techniques works well, too, although be careful that your message remains clear. Ultimately, make your thoughts known so the man recognizes how you feel.

If dealing with repeat offenders in a professional setting, it may help to start a record of who mansplains and what theysaid. It may also be worth involving your HR department (Verywell Mind) (9).

Communication is key to successful relationships. When dealing with someone who mansplains at home, discussing and drawing your partner’s attention to when they mansplain is often enough. To reiterate, most men have no idea they do it in the first place; they may just need a small prompt to change their behavior. Meanwhile, others may require a billboard with flashing lights.

Mansplaining meme: fake costume package labeled “Mansplaining Coworker” with traits like “talks over women in meetings."

Mansplaining meme: A man in a boat offers sailing tips to a woman who owns the boat.

Mansplaining meme showing Jessica McCarty’s tweet about a man recommending her own work at a NASA meeting.

Mansplaining meme tweet where a guy corrects Marie Curie to Mariah Carey.

Sweating man meme with caption about girlfriend not understanding mansplaining, illustrating the concept humorously.

Mansplaining meme tweet with user humorously saying “ALL stars are north,” misinterpreting directions.

Cartoon skeleton character mansplaining with a sign, “Ladies. Mansplaining is short for ‘Man Explaining.'"

Vintage painting meme on mansplaining showing women with caption about a man saying “actually” after class answer.

Two people in a mansplaining meme gesture silence with fingers to lips, captioned “SHUTTING DOWN MANSPLAINERS."

See Also on Bored Panda

Mansplaining meme birthday card with a drawing of a man saying, “Let me explain to you how to have a happy birthday."

Mansplaining meme comparing it to a GPS giving constant directions in a neighborhood you’ve known for 15 years.

Mansplaining meme by Priscilla about her husband explaining their home location while driving.

Comic of a man explaining mansplaining, noting men only respect “superiors” and questioning if that’s ever a woman.

Mansplaining meme tweet by Krista Pacion about a guy answering for her on workplace experiences.

Mansplaining meme tweet where a woman feigns confusion, leading a man to explain “deception."

Mansplaining meme by Anwen Kya on “correctile dysfunction,” expressing laughter at the witty term.

Barbie addressing Ken about mansplaining; Ken responds humorously, suggesting “woman-understanding” instead.

Mansplaining meme with a bear in water, suggesting men distract it by explaining why meeting a bear is preferable.

A meme by Toby Turner humorously illustrating mansplaining, where a man’s attempt to clarify leads to further mansplaining.

Mansplaining meme of a man entering a room, casting a shadow, with text about sharing his viewpoint.

Mansplaining meme: Woman working alone vs man over shoulder explaining in office setting.

References“Mansplain.” Merriam-Webster.com. |https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mansplainSolnit, Rebecca. “Men who explain things.” Los Angeles Times, April 13, 2008 |https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-13-op-solnit13-story.html“Mansplaining.” Know Your Meme, 2012 |https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mansplaining“Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, April 14, 1776” [electronic edition]. Massachusetts Historical Society, April 14, 1776 |https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L17760414ja&rec=sheet&archive=&hi=&numRecs=&query=&queryid=&start=&tag=&num=10&bc=Rotham, Lily. “A Cultural History of Mainsplaining.” The Atlantic, November 1, 2012 |https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/11/a-cultural-history-of-mansplaining/264380/Abbott, Lyman. “Why Women Do Not Wish the Suffrage.” The Atlantic Monthly. Volume 92, No. 551, September 1903 |https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/03sep/0309suffrage.htm@GlobalCitz. “Come & share your mansplaining stories here!” Mumsnet, September 25, 2024 |https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5173518-come-share-your-mansplaining-stories-here?page=2&reply=138555425Hedges, Kristi. “5 Ways To Shut down Mansplaining.” Forbes, February 26, 2018 |https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2018/02/26/5-ways-to-shut-down-mansplaining/Resnick, Ariane. “How to Deal With Mansplaining at Work.” Verywell Mind, May 7, 2024 |https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-deal-with-mansplaining-at-work-8623256

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