Mansplaining, you've probably heard the word thrown around among women. If you've been on the other end of a well-meaning man's condescending explanations of things you already know, we bet you've used that term, too. And your experience is not at all rare, unfortunately.

Commiserate with us as we go through these real stories of women coming up against mansplainers while at work. From the know-it-alls to the thunder stealers, you'll definitely get a good laugh (and maybe even get a little angry) at these frustrating encounters between colleagues of the opposite gender.

Thunder Stealing, Denied!

It can be challenging to stand up to someone higher on the work ladder, especially if you're a young woman. So, we've got to commend this teen worker for the way she stood up for herself when her boss tried to steal her thunder during a meeting.

Although a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, her defiance sent an important message to her boss and colleagues: she's not one to be pushed around. That'll definitely save her a ton of grief in the future should people keep on trying to take credit for her ideas!

Look At Mr. Ancestry.com Here

It's always nice for a co-worker to make an effort to get to know you on a personal level. But this encounter, we think, just crossed the line. This female worker seems to be knowledgeable enough about the history behind her family name, as many people are. Still, her colleague took it upon himself to mansplain the pronunciation of her own last name to her.

To be fair, he could've been technically right given the changes that immigrants make to their names to fit in. In reality, though, he probably was just spending too much time on Ancestry.com and branded himself a genealogy expert without getting the proper education.

That's Womansplaining For You

One favorable to the existence of mansplaining is that the opposite can also happen. Call it "womansplaining," if you will, and it's demonstrated well in this encounter between a customer and a watch advisor. Similar to the other stories we've covered, it all began with a man explaining something to a woman who's more knowledgeable on the topic.

In this case, though, the story ends in the woman getting the chance to show her expertise and shutting down the mansplainer altogether. All that while helping a customer with a problem he created! Revenge is sweet, after all.

Wise Words From A "Wise" Man

Mansplaining is mostly unwelcomed, but sometimes, it does lead to a good laugh on the woman's part. Take this story, for example. Unexpectedly getting a condescending response in a work-related email correspondence, this worker took things in stride and decided to turn the negative into something positive.

And so, she printed out her workmate's "wise" words and framed them as an inspirational poster. Every time she gets swamped at work, all she has to do is stare at that and get a quick pick-me-up from a "wise" man, who just couldn't help correcting people.

Out Of Order... Part 2

Some people just have to get the final word in everything. And it doesn't matter if it's something as inconsequential as getting to announce that a tumble dryer at work is broken. The man in this funny anecdote took things a step further, though.

After seeing his female colleague put up an "out of order" sign, he just had to one-up her again. That's how this two-parter sign came to be. What's even more hilarious is that he probably didn't have enough time to print his and just scribbled the message with a pen.

He Just Can't Grapple With That Fact

It's no secret that the world of video game development and technology, in general, is dominated by men. In fact, statistics from the career and job search website Zippia show that only 13% of game developers are women. So, we totally get how the scenario above unfolded.

For some reason, the male developer just couldn't grapple with the fact that his female colleague knows enough about grappling hooks to program it into the game they were working on. Oh well, hopefully, he went on to realize that women can learn the ropes around traditionally masculine tools, too.

She Literally Wrote The Book About It

People often say, "I wrote the book on (insert topic here)" to indicate that they're an expert on a particular field. However, both idiomatic and literal meanings of this phrase apply in this frustrating work encounter.

With a new hire deeming himself an expert after reading the company manual, he came face to face with the actual expert who literally wrote the book he read. But similar to his fellow mansplainers, it seems he still thought he knew more than her. Maybe he should try sticking to reading more books before explaining work-related stuff to his colleagues.

Just Got Schooled

Mansplainers can be found in workplaces all over the world. That's what this woman realized when she encountered one in the newsroom of her job in Germany. Getting into the topic of schooling in certain countries, her male colleague decided to school her about the differences between American and German education.

What he probably didn't realize at the time is that she had firsthand experience on the matter, having studied in both countries. That said, we're willing to give this mansplainer the benefit of the doubt for now. Still, let this serve as a lesson not to assume that you always know more than the people around you.

The Accountant With Poor Bedside Manner

One thing they teach aspiring doctors in medical school is proper bedside manner. So, forgive this accountant for not following the protocol when he mansplained to his wife how her surgeon planned on going about her upcoming operation.

We're not going to lie, though; we're somewhat impressed by the level of self-confidence he displayed in this scenario. He even interrupted his wife's nurse, an actual medical professional, to give his take on the matter. If only he had put all of that energy into being a supportive husband instead of taking over the nurse's job!

Whatever Happened To Giving Compliments?

Artists always appreciate it when they get compliments on their work. So, we totally understand why this woman was annoyed when a co-worker skipped that part and went on to mansplain her own artwork to her. He even went as far as to explain what sketchbooks are!

That said, we're inclined to think this colleague didn't have good intentions when he approached the artist about her drawing. "Futurama" is a pretty popular animated show, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for her to watch it, too. It's even on the streaming TV and movie service Hulu!

Bad Mansplainer Vs. Good Mansplainer

Believe it or not, mansplaining can be a good thing. That's evident in this scenario where a male co-worker defended his female colleague, Tirzah, from a condescending electrician by mocking his mansplaining ways. In the end, the electrician realized how maddening his actions were but got angry at the wrong people instead.

Still, we're considering this one a win for Tirzah and her witty co-worker. Maybe the next time the electrician is called on for his repair services, he'll know better than to underestimate the intellect of his clients. That's just good business conduct if you ask us!

Uhm… That's How She Got The Job

Now, this next one would make anyone's blood boil! It's one thing to encounter a mansplainer one on one; it's another for him to be your boss and have him humiliate you in front of your own colleagues.

Did the boss forget why his furniture company hired her in the first place? We think it's a given that she knows a lot about woodworking even to get an interview at the place. So, we just don't understand why he felt the need to mansplain something as basic as what acetone is to her, that is, except to intentionally embarrass her.

Her Way Or The Highway

It's not unheard of for colleagues to not fully know precisely what each other's job description is, especially if they work in different departments at a big company. Still, that didn't stop this worker from mansplaining his female colleague's own tasks back to her.

With four years of experience managing the company's finances and most likely an accounting degree to back her up, we can't blame this woman for being upset. So, here's to hoping she rightfully put her know-it-all co-worker in place and continued to do things as usual. It's her way or the highway!

He Just Can't Help It

Sometimes knowing better is still not enough to stop mansplainers from doing their thing. That's clearly the case in this story, where a male worker felt the need to explain an Excel worksheet he knew his female colleague made. Which makes us think: Can mansplaining be a compulsion that some people just can't control?

Whatever the real explanation is, we still don't think this should be an acceptable way to treat co-workers, though. What's more, spending 45 minutes going over something that's already been understood is just not an efficient use of anyone's time.

The Mystery Of The Female Anatomy

Women often joke about men not understanding the female anatomy and vice versa. But while this type of banter is relatively harmless, things start to get dicey when medical professionals can't seem to figure out the way female bodies work, too.

Just look at this story of a male medical student who insists that the female urethra is inside the body. That despite just being told by a practicing nurse of its actual location! Safe to say, he might want to brush up on the things he learned from anatomy class before going out into the field.

When Being "Helpful" BackFires

Working with computers makes many tasks more manageable, but it also has its pitfalls. For example, having one malfunction while you're serving a mansplainer can get you unsolicited tech tutorials. The joke's on the customer in this scenario, though.

Perhaps thinking that his helpful gesture would make him get service faster, he decided to sort things out himself… by doing exactly what the employee did. However, his efforts backfired as the computer still failed to work. In the end, all he accomplished was make his wait longer than it should have been.

Teaching The Master

As it turns out, having 15 years of experience as a pastry chef is still not enough to be considered an expert. At least, that's probably what this guy was thinking when he "taught" his female colleague how to pipe icing roses. The only problem was that she was already a master at the task.

And while that mistake is somewhat forgivable, offering to teach her how to bake bread weeks later is the nail on the coffin. Fortunately, she and her mansplaining colleague no longer work at the same restaurant. Maybe this frustrated pastry chef can bake in peace now!

Accounting 101

Keeping with that same theme, this female accountant also found her expertise being questioned by someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. Just wanting to do the job she was hired for, a male colleague decided to give her an accounting crash course after pointing out his mistakes.

Too bad for him, she stood up for herself and promptly (but calmly) shut him down by letting him know of her impressive background. Here's to hoping this incident clued the bosses in on his shortcomings and addressed the situation right away!

Better, Google It First!

Sometimes arguing with a mansplainer is just not the way to go. There are cases when letting them discover their own mistake is the best choice. That's certainly the case in this story of an insistent boss pressuring his employee to make changes on an insurance policy despite being warned that his way was the wrong one.

That said, we imagine the employee got sweet satisfaction when the insurance company itself called and told her boss of his mistake. Maybe he'll learn to listen to people's inputs moving forward or take his own advice and Google things first.

"You're Doing It Wrong, Doctor!"

You'd think years of training and going to medical school would make it easier for doctors to gain the trust of their patients. But it seems like some people just love to question professionals even over the littlest things. This female doctor learned that through firsthand experience.

Just wanting to do her job, her skills were challenged by a patient's relative, who apparently knew more about taking blood than an actual professional. While we could understand that he was just worried for his family member, it's probably better to let doctors do their thing and stay out of the way.

What Women Want, According To Men

It's never a good feeling to be talked over during work meetings, especially one with a topic you have a lot of insight on. So, we can't blame this millennial for being upset after her older co-workers shut her down during a marketing meeting.

Being the target market, she was definitely more knowledgeable than her colleagues about selling a product to Gen Y buyers. That didn't stop them from mansplaining away, however, about—of all things—what women like her actually want. Guess it's high time for the company to hire a more diverse marketing consultant team.

Tampon Tips

While periods shouldn't really be seen as a taboo topic, it's not really a man's place to give unsolicited advice to a woman about it. And we're sure you'd agree, too, after reading the flabbergasting encounter above, which features a guy trying to mansplain tampons to his colleagues.

The male worker in the story even brought up tampon sizes despite not knowing much about the subject. We feel he thought picking one is just like picking shoes with numerical sizing. That said, we commend his female co-worker for calling him out right away.

A History Professor's Worst Nightmare

Imagine this: you've spent years, nay, decades of your life studying and publishing history papers. Through hard work, you've become expert enough to talk about the history of the suffrage movement at a university. All of that only to be mansplained to by a random guy from the audience.

Sounds like a nightmare, huh? But that's precisely what happened to this professor during one public lecture about the political aspects of women's suffrage. We imagine it took a lot of restraint on her part not to let the man get the best of her after hearing his awful take on history.

It's Basically Chili, But Not Really

We've got to say, a recipe for Frito pie is a weird hill to die on. But the young man in this story seemed dead set on defending his opinion that the dish is not just chili with chips sprinkled on top.

Too bad for him; his own explanation kind of proved that his take on the matter was wrong. Listing all the ingredients for Frito pie for his female co-workers, he basically just listed everything one needs to make chili. In fairness to him, he did agree in the end that he made a mistake, although begrudgingly.

Stereotype Overload

Now, this next one is equally sad and infuriating. It seems like no matter how much women achieve and excel in their respective fields. There would always be someone who would question their capabilities because of outdated gender stereotypes.

This social worker, who has a master's degree on the subject, by the way, still had to contend with a mansplainer basically belittling her. He even had the audacity to imply that she was terrible at math and just spent her husband's cash! Worse, he did that while she was trying to help him with his social security needs.

She's Got Every Right To Be "Salty"

It takes a bright and hard-working person to earn a degree in chemical engineering, let alone be qualified to be a professional chemist. So, it should go without saying that there's no reason to question this woman's expertise, especially by asking her such a basic chemistry query.

Of course, she knows that NaCl (sodium chloride) is salt! That said, we think she has every right to be "salty" about how her male colleague treated her. And to think he didn't even know the answer to his own question, which he probably asked to test her intellect.

Maybe It's Time For A Demo

Being a woman in sports is hard enough; being a woman in a male-dominated one is all the more so. Just look at this female martial arts expert who's still finding it difficult to get white belters to respect her higher standing.

We might have a solution for that problem, though. Maybe it's time for her to start every taekwondo class with a demonstration of her skills…with the newbies as her sparring partners! If getting their behind handed to them by her isn't enough, we don't know what else would convince them she isn't one to be messed with.

Alrighty, Then

Training a new hire can be a hassle, so finding one who's already well-versed with the job at hand is a plus. However, we still think the guy in this story could have gotten across his message in a better way without sounding unpleasant.

Interrupting his female colleague, who was just showing him the ropes, he didn't really make a good first impression with his workmate. She probably had nothing to say but "Alrighty, then." after he promptly dismissed the assistance she offered. Oh well, more time for her to do other tasks then!

Farewell, Mr. Mansplain

What is it with people resorting to mansplaining when their mistakes are pointed out to them? That same scenario unfolded in this story when a female employee pointed out to a higher-up that he mistakenly paid some workers multiple times because of a processing error.

Fortunately, she didn't have to contend with her co-worker, who she dubbed Mr. Mansplain, for much longer after that. He left the company, and we're guessing much to the relief of many of his colleagues. We have a feeling he had no problem finding another company to take his lectures to, though.

Terminix Guy Doesn't Approve

You'd think a pest control worker would be appreciative of a client prepping their home before their appointment. But this guy from Terminix was actually upset this woman removed her floorboards and mopped her floors on her own, all because he disapproves of women doing manual labor.

He even went as far as to lecture her about proper parenting and teaching her children traditional gender roles. She understandably filed a complaint about him. While upsetting, this incident did lead to one good outcome: the woman got her old Terminix tech back, who she liked better.

He Just Seconded The Motion

What we find weird in this scenario is that the male co-worker took enough time to listen in on his colleagues' conversation. However, he didn't seem to notice how he was just repeating things that had already been said about the topic at hand.

It just goes to show how some people don't truly listen and just speak for the sake of doing so. It's like he just seconded the motion at a meeting despite not fully understanding what was being talked about. Oh well, at least he didn't seem to have ill intentions when he voiced out his opinions like the other mansplainers we've come across before.

The Mansplaining "Feminist"

Now, this one is equal parts funny and frustrating. Not seeing the irony in his actions, this guy just had to mansplain what feminism actually is to his female friend because he was the one who took a women's studies class while in school.

He didn't back down either when his male friends pointed out how problematic it was that he deemed himself more of an expert on women's issues than an actual woman. Hopefully, this mansplaining feminist later realized why talking over his female friend was not the best way to get his point across.

A Tad Too Helpful

Deciding to be a good big sister backfired for the woman in our following anecdote. Taking her brother's computer to the campus IT team, she encountered a work-study student who mansplained what she already knew about the Internet connection problems her brother had.

Worse, he felt the need to "help" her use her phone even though she didn't need assistance at all. As if teaching a kid, he went as far as to guide her finger to press the home button to unlock her device! Fortunately, the actual IT guy returned in time to solve her issues and for the work-study to be proven wrong.

Same Message, Different Messenger

Being a woman working in a car dealership is challenging, with autos being a traditionally male-dominated turf. Just take a look at the experience of this female employee, who had to explain repeatedly to a client that the dealership can't grant his request for a title replacement.

But when her male boss got on the call and explained the same thing to him, the client suddenly got the message and stopped arguing. What's more, the boss didn't let the incident go without informing the client that the employee was in the right all along.

At Least He Still Bought Something

Women can be well-versed not just about their own clothes but also the intricacies of sportswear, especially if it's part of their job to do so. The NHL store employee in this story even got a breakdown of the pro hockey merchandise they were selling to serve customers better.

So, when a mansplainer walked in and questioned everything she said, she was also prepared to correct him. Bringing out the paperwork to back up her hockey jersey knowledge, the customer was left with no choice but to believe her. On the bright side, though, he still ended up buying something, so it's a win-win in the end, right?

It's Simple Math

Here's another case of a boss underestimating his employee despite having excellent qualifications. Despite being hired as a finance assistant with a degree in mathematics to back her up, her manager still didn't trust her skills, even when it came to simple math.

After asking an easy addition question and getting the correct answer from her, he just had to double-check with a calculator. Although we think he didn't have nefarious intentions behind his actions, it would have been better if he didn't bring out his calculator right in front of her.

Nobody Likes A Stubborn Boss

Teaching is a noble vocation that practitioners don't get paid enough for, so we're all for teachers only doing necessary tasks to avoid overworking them. However, this boss doesn't seem to think that way and is set to do things his way, even if it means more paperwork for everybody else.

He might not realize that his refusal to listen to people who have been at the school longer than he is making everyone, even the students, resent him. Instead of being stubborn and mansplaining to his employees, it's probably more beneficial for him to listen to their suggestions instead.

Pen And Paper All The Way

Each person has their own way of working around mathematical problems. Some prefer using calculators, while some find good old pen and paper as the only way to go. What matters is that the problem is solved as quickly as possible, especially if it's a work-related one.

That said, despite his good intentions, the male co-worker in this story only made tasks more complicated when he decided to help one of his female colleagues. In the end, they spent an entire hour fixing a non-issue that she had already solved—with pen and paper—in just five minutes.

Wow, That's How A Phone Works?

Being in charge of other people can be stressful, so we understand why this manager might have been frustrated that day. What we can't wrap our minds around, though, is why he would focus his attention on how one of his employees answers the phone.

We think the task is relatively easy to master, especially since humanity has been answering calls since Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention in the 1870s. To be fair, he had only been on the job for two weeks and was probably trying to build rapport with his employees. Maybe next time, he might want to avoid mansplaining a simple task.

Nope, Still Not Working

Self-service tills save both grocery customers and employees a lot of time, but that doesn't mean they're foolproof technology. These devices do malfunction from time to time. Too bad for the employee in this story. She chanced upon a mansplaining customer during one such instance.

Offering to help her fix the till he suggested a "man's touch" might do the trick. Spoiler alert: it still didn't make things work. It just goes to show you that five years of working the tills does make the employee more qualified to troubleshoot the device compared to a regular customer.

Fish Identification Troubles

Memorizing the kinds of fish sold at the supermarket isn't really rocket science. This frustrated worker certainly got the hang of things pretty quickly in just her first week on the job. But for some reason, one customer still didn't believe her knowledge on the matter.

He didn't seem to notice that there were labels to identify the fish and other seafood there, either. Perhaps he forgot his eyeglasses at home and was just trying to ensure he got the right ingredients for dinner? Of course, if you ask us, our solution would be to trust the grocery employee to sell us the fish we asked for.