mensch
mensch — noun
- menschsingular
- menschesplural
1. A person who consistently behaves with honesty, kindness, and moral integrity, e
A person who consistently behaves with honesty, kindness, and moral integrity, especially by doing what is right for others even when it requires personal sacrifice or inconvenience.
Nadia helped her neighbor shovel snow without being asked — she is a true mensch.
collocation: true mensch — emphasizes genuine integrity
Zayd invited the new employee to lunch — that is what a mensch does.
defining clause: what a mensch does
My grandmother taught that a mensch keeps promises even when it is hard.
The landlord charged a fair rent instead of raising it — he is a real mensch.
Ilan organized the charity dinner on weekends — that is the kind of mensch he is.
- decent person
A broader, less culturally specific alternative that lacks the Yiddish warmth and moral-weight connotation of mensch.
- person of integrity
More formal and abstract; mensch is warmer and implies everyday, practical goodness rather than a philosophical principle.
- good egg
An informal, old-fashioned British idiom similar in warmth but without the moral seriousness of mensch.
文法句型
a + mensch
用法筆記
This Yiddish loanword carries strong positive cultural weight in American English, especially within Jewish communities. It describes not just a 'nice person' but someone who actively does the right thing — a person of moral backbone who can be relied upon. The word is used almost exclusively in informal speech and is typically modified by 'true,' 'real,' or 'good' to reinforce its positive meaning.