mx

IPA/mɪks/
IPA/mɪks/

mx — abbreviation

1. a title placed before someone's surname or full name when the person does not wa

1.abbreviationB2
Definition

a title placed before someone's surname or full name when the person does not want the title to show that they are male or female

Example

The clinic form listed Mx Chen as the patient's chosen title.

Mx + family name on official forms

Please welcome Mx Devika Rao, our new music teacher.

Mx + full name in introductions

Common collocations
  • Mx + family name
  • Mx + full name
  • change title to Mx
Synonyms
  • title

    broad term for words placed before names

  • honorific

    formal language term for a respectful name title

Antonyms
  • Mr.

    gendered title for a man

  • Ms.

    gendered title for a woman

Grammar Patterns

Mx + family name

Mx + first name + family name

Usage Note

Usually written with a capital M on forms, letters, and name badges. Some people write 'Mx.' with a period, but plain 'Mx' is now common; unlike Mr. or Ms., this title leaves gender unspecified.

Common Mistakes

Please ask Mx to sign here.
Please ask Mx Chen to sign here.
like other written titles, Mx is usually followed by a name in formal use.
The form changed every title to Mx.
The form used Mx only for people who chose it.
Mx is a personal title preference, not a default label for everyone.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: abbreviation/1

Mx is a gender-neutral title used before a name when a person does not want the title to show whether they are male or female. Mr. marks a man, Ms. is the standard adult title for a woman without mentioning marriage, and Mrs. usually points to a married woman. On forms, email greetings, and visitor records, Mx fills the same slot as those titles but leaves gender open. Use it only when that is the person's chosen title. If a school or company is unsure which title someone wants, it is better to ask than to guess.

Mx ↗Mr. ↗Ms. ↗Mrs. ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Mx + family name
  • Mx + full name
  • Dear Mx + family name

Etymology

Modern English

Mx appeared in modern English as a gender-neutral personal title. Its written shape seems to have been modeled on other short name titles such as Mr., Mrs., and Ms., while avoiding a form that points to either male or female. It first spread in letters, forms, and official records, and later became more visible in spoken introductions as more institutions offered non-binary and gender-neutral title options.

First known use

1973

1973, in the meaning defined above Noun (2)