mascneuter

mascneuter is a term used in discussions of gender identity and pronoun choice to describe people who present masculine gender expression while preferring neuter pronouns or identifying with a neuter aspect of their identity. It is a portmanteau of masculine and neuter and is not part of formal gender taxonomy; its meaning varies across communities and individuals.

Originating in online discourse in the 2010s and 2020s, mascneuter has no single canonical definition. It tends to be defined by speakers or communities rather than by scholarly consensus, and its usage can differ depending on context and personal preference.

In practice, mascneuter may be used by someone to describe their own experience or by others to describe another person. It is sometimes used alongside or as an alternative to labels such as non-binary, genderqueer, or agender, though it centers a masculine presentation combined with neuter pronouns rather than a non-masculine or non-neuter identity.

Pronoun choices associated with mascneuter can vary; neuter pronoun sets include they/them as well as neopronouns such as xe/xem or ze/zir, depending on individual preference. The key element is consent and self-identification, with pronouns chosen to reflect the individual’s sense of self rather than enforcing a fixed category.

Reception of the term is mixed. It is not widely used in formal scholarship and may be seen as either a useful shorthand for certain experiences or as a label that risks conflating gender identity with expression or pronoun choice. As with all self-descriptions, accuracy depends on the individual’s own identification and preferences.

See also: gender identity, pronouns, non-binary, masculine-presenting, neopronouns.