Hirsute is an adjective meaning hairy. Someone may be a hirsute person, or have hirsute body parts like a hirsute chest or hirsute legs, for example.
It’s more common for men to be hirsute than women, as excess hair is a sign of high levels of the male sex hormone testosterone.
The term hirsute most commonly refers to coarse, long, and untamed hairiness. It’s unusual for people to be called hirsute because they have a lot of hair on their heads.
Some people find hirsute people, especially men, very attractive. They see hairiness as a sign of masculinity and find it very sexy. They may even seek out hirsute men. However, others are turned off by male hair and prefer them to wax or shave hirsute parts of their body, like their chests and backs.
Anecdotally, a hirsute body is seen to be less sexually appealing for women. Some people attracted to women insist they shave parts of their body where hair grows, like under the arms, the legs, and the genitals. However, others appreciate a hirsute women, just as some people appreciate a hirsute man. For these people, the excess hair may even be fetishized.
