playboy

See also: play-boy and Playboy

English

Etymology

From play +‎ boy.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpleɪbɔɪ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpleɪˌbɔɪ/
• Hyphenation: play‧boy

Noun

playboy (plural playboys)

1. A single man, especially a wealthy one, who devotes himself to a life of leisure and pleasure, often sexual, without commitments or responsibilities.
   • 1969, Joe Bataan, “Ordinary Guy”:

     Exclusive nightclubs are out of style with me / 'Cause I don't associate with high society / I don't hang around playboy millionaires / I'm just an ordinary guy you left behind

Synonyms

• hedonist

Coordinate terms

• playgirl

Derived terms

• playboyish
• playboyism
• playboylike

Translations

man who devotes himself to pleasure

• Arabic: مُسْتَهْتَر (mustahtar)
• Belarusian: плэйбой m (plejbój)
• Bulgarian: плейбой m (plejboj)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 花花公子 (zh) (huāhuāgōngzi)

• Czech: playboy m, svěťák m, flamendr (cs) m
• Dutch: casanova (nl), don juan, playboy (nl) m
• Esperanto: bonvivanto (eo), donĵuano
• Finnish: playboy (fi), rattopoika (fi)
• French: playboy (fr) m, play-boy (fr) m
• German: Playboy (de) m, Lebemann (de) m, Salonlöwe (de) m

  Bavarian: Fescha Kampe m

• Hebrew: נַעַר שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים m (na'ar sha'ashu'im)
• Hungarian: playboy (hu), aranyifjú (hu)
• Irish: buachaill báire m, croíán m
• Italian: playboy (it) m
• Japanese: 遊び人 (ja) (あそびにん, asobinin), やりちん (yarichin)
• Korean: 바람둥이 (ko) (baramdung'i), 난봉꾼 (ko) (nanbongkkun)
• Latin: asōtus m
• Norwegian: levemann m
• Persian: عیاشی جوان ('ayâši joânne), پلیبوی (playboy)
• Polish: playboy (pl) m
• Portuguese: playboy (pt) m
• Russian: ловела́с (ru) m (lovelás), пове́са (ru) m (povésa), плейбо́й (ru) m (plɛjbój), гуля́ка (ru) m (guljáka)
• Spanish: golfo (es) m, mujeriego (es) m
• Swedish: playboy (sv) c, lebeman (sv) c
• Tagalog: palikero, pabling (slang)
• Turkish: playboy (tr), kazanova, çapkın (tr), hovarda (tr)
• Vietnamese: kẻ/người phóng đãng

Finnish

Etymology

From English playboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplei̯boi̯/, [ˈple̞i̯bo̞i̯]
• Rhymes: -eiboi

Noun

playboy

1. playboy

Declension

Inflection of playboy (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
nominative		playboy	playboyt
genitive		playboyn	playboyiden playboyitten
partitive		playboyta	playboyita
illative		playboyhin playboyhyn	playboyihin
		singular	plural
nominative		playboy	playboyt
accusative	nom.	playboy	playboyt
	gen.	playboyn
genitive		playboyn	playboyiden playboyitten
partitive		playboyta	playboyita
inessive		playboyssa	playboyissa
elative		playboysta	playboyista
illative		playboyhin playboyhyn	playboyihin
adessive		playboylla	playboyilla
ablative		playboylta	playboyilta
allative		playboylle	playboyille
essive		playboyna	playboyina
translative		playboyksi	playboyiksi
abessive		playboytta	playboyitta
instructive		—	playboyin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of playboy (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative playboyni playboyni accusative nom. playboyni playboyni gen. playboyni genitive playboyni playboyideni playboyitteni partitive playboytani playboyitani inessive playboyssani playboyissani elative playboystani playboyistani illative playboyhini playboyhyni playboyihini adessive playboyllani playboyillani ablative playboyltani playboyiltani allative playboylleni playboyilleni essive playboynani playboyinani translative playboykseni playboyikseni abessive playboyttani playboyittani instructive — — comitative — playboyineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative playboysi playboysi accusative nom. playboysi playboysi gen. playboysi genitive playboysi playboyidesi playboyittesi partitive playboytasi playboyitasi inessive playboyssasi playboyissasi elative playboystasi playboyistasi illative playboyhisi playboyhysi playboyihisi adessive playboyllasi playboyillasi ablative playboyltasi playboyiltasi allative playboyllesi playboyillesi essive playboynasi playboyinasi translative playboyksesi playboyiksesi abessive playboyttasi playboyittasi instructive — — comitative — playboyinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative playboymme playboymme accusative nom. playboymme playboymme gen. playboymme genitive playboymme playboyidemme playboyittemme partitive playboytamme playboyitamme inessive playboyssamme playboyissamme elative playboystamme playboyistamme illative playboyhimme playboyhymme playboyihimme adessive playboyllamme playboyillamme ablative playboyltamme playboyiltamme allative playboyllemme playboyillemme essive playboynamme playboyinamme translative playboyksemme playboyiksemme abessive playboyttamme playboyittamme instructive — — comitative — playboyinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative playboynne playboynne accusative nom. playboynne playboynne gen. playboynne genitive playboynne playboyidenne playboyittenne partitive playboytanne playboyitanne inessive playboyssanne playboyissanne elative playboystanne playboyistanne illative playboyhinne playboyhynne playboyihinne adessive playboyllanne playboyillanne ablative playboyltanne playboyiltanne allative playboyllenne playboyillenne essive playboynanne playboyinanne translative playboyksenne playboyiksenne abessive playboyttanne playboyittanne instructive — — comitative — playboyinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative playboynsa playboynsa accusative nom. playboynsa playboynsa gen. playboynsa genitive playboynsa playboyidensa playboyittensa partitive playboytaan playboytansa playboyitaan playboyitansa inessive playboyssaan playboyssansa playboyissaan playboyissansa elative playboystaan playboystansa playboyistaan playboyistansa illative playboyhinsa playboyhynsa playboyihinsa adessive playboyllaan playboyllansa playboyillaan playboyillansa ablative playboyltaan playboyltansa playboyiltaan playboyiltansa allative playboylleen playboyllensa playboyilleen playboyillensa essive playboynaan playboynansa playboyinaan playboyinansa translative playboykseen playboyksensa playboyikseen playboyiksensa abessive playboyttaan playboyttansa playboyittaan playboyittansa instructive — — comitative — playboyineen playboyinensa

Further reading

• “playboy”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

French

Noun

playboy m (plural playboys)

1. post-1990 spelling of play-boy

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English playboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplɛj.bɔj/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛjbɔj
• Syllabification: play‧boy

Noun

playboy m pers

1. playboy (hedonist who leads an easy life, including sexual indulgence)

Declension

Declension of playboy

	singular	plural
nominative	playboy	playboye
genitive	playboya	playboyów
dative	playboyowi	playboyom
accusative	playboya	playboyów
instrumental	playboyem	playboyami
locative	playboyu	playboyach
vocative	playboy	playboye

Further reading

• “playboy”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “playboy”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[3] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• pleibói, pleiba

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English playboy.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /plejˈbɔj/ [pleɪ̯ˈbɔɪ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /plɐjˈbɔj/ [plɐjˈβɔj]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /plɐjˈbɔj/ [plɐjˈβɔj]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /plejˈbɔj/ [plejˈβɔj]
  • (Central Portugal) IPA^(key): /plejˈbɔj/ [plejˈβɔj]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pleˈbɔj/

• Rhymes: -ɔj

Noun

playboy m (plural playboys)

1. playboy (man who devotes himself to pleasure)
2. (Brazil, slang) a rich person

Further reading

• “playboy”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “playboy”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English playboy.

Noun

playboy m (plural playboy)

1. playboy

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	playboy	playboyul	playboy	playboyi
genitive-dative	playboy	playboyului	playboy	playboylor
vocative	playboyule		playboylor

Spanish

Alternative forms

• play boy

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English playboy.

Noun

playboy m (plural playboys)

1. playboy

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “playboy”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025