The full form of MGTOW is men going their own way
The acronym “MGTOW” or “mgtow” represents the phrase “men going their own way.” The phrase is defined as the ability of men to find their way in life without the need to be defined by a woman. It is men celebrating and embracing their masculinity.

Origin of MGTOW

The “MGTOW” movement began early in the 2000s as men began to respond to the feminist movement. Members of the “MGTOW” movement uphold the position that they do not need long-term relationships with women or believe in the institution of marriage as they view both to be an abusive situation where women expect men to act a specific way due their masculinity but still want their feminist views respected. Instead, members of this group sometimes no longer engage with women at all for any reason, even for sexual relations. These would be considered the extremists of the movement. The official policy and rules for the group were written by two figureheads of the MRA (Men’s Rights Activism) and adopted officially in 2004 in Hickory, North Carolina.

Other Meanings

Another meaning of the acronym “MGTOW” comes from the airline industry. In this industry, the acronym “MGTOW” represents the phase “maximum gross takeoff weight” which defines the amount of weight an aircraft can hold to take off and land safely.

Example Conversations
A text message conversation between two male friends.

Friend 1: The recent feminist movement makes me like women even less.
Friend 2: Why do you say that?
Friend 1: All they do is complain about how oppressed they are when they aren’t. It’s men that are oppressed and forced to conform to their ideas and opinions all the time. Like marriage and respecting them for looking good all the time.
Friend 2: I guess I can kind of see your point.
Friend 1: I think I am just going to join the MGTOW movement and renounce women altogether.