Former politician David Leyonhjelm has admitted it "would not be reasonable" to interpret comments about preventing men's violence as referring to all men, as he came under pressure during a defamation case brought against him by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

In further damaging admissions, Mr Leyonhjelm told the Federal Court on Thursday he did not believe it was true that Senator Hanson-Young was a misandrist and hypocrite who had made the "absurd" claim in Parliament that all men were rapists but "nevertheless had sexual relations with them". He has pleaded a defence of truth to all of those claims.

Former senator David Leyonhjelm on Wednesday. Credit:AAP

Senator Hanson-Young is suing Mr Leyonhjelm for defamation over a series of comments he made to the media after a heated Senate debate last year about weapons importation and violence against women, during which he told her from the sidelines to "stop shagging men".

He claims the comment was in response to a claim by Senator Hanson-Young that "all men are rapists".