men among men

Noun

man among men (plural men among men)

1. (idiomatic) A man who is accepted on the same terms, and as having the same worth, as other men in society.
   • I have accomplished my dearest wish, I am a man among men, on an equal footing with Tom, Dick and Harry, and yet it isn't just exactly what I thought it was going to be.1892, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XII, in The American Claimant, New York, N.Y.: Charles L[uther] Webster & Co., →OCLC, page 128
2. (idiomatic) A superior or remarkable man who stands out from other men; a leader or exemplar for other men.
   • Near-synonym: man's man

   Synonyms:

   man's man