matinee idol
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even better, he has used his beauty not to become a matinee idol but to unsettle and surprise us, portraying characters whose handsomeness is very much the point but not the whole story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
He’s a dashing, square-jawed, clean-shaven matinee idol with a luxurious head of long, curly black hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025
Olivier, who was playing Archie Rice, was at the peak of his acting career and considered something of a matinee idol.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
There was a stiffness to Mr. Belafonte’s early, untrained movie performances, and he admitted he was self-conscious in matinee idol roles.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 25, 2023
One man, we all decided, could well be a matinee idol and another might have hailed from down Greenwich Village way.
From The Romance of a Great Store by Edward Hungerford
