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bastard definition

bas·tard (bas′tərd)

noun

  1. a person born of parents not married to each other; illegitimate child
  2. anything spurious, inferior, or varying from standard
  3. Slang a person regarded with contempt, hatred, pity, resentment, etc. or, sometimes, with playful affection: a vulgar usage

Etymology: ME < OFr < bast- (also in fils de bast) (< ? Goth bansts, barn) + -ard, -ard: hence, one conceived in a barn

adjective

  1. of illegitimate birth or of uncertain origin
  2. of a size or shape that differs from the normal or standard
  3. that is not truly the designated thing but that closely resembles it gneiss is called bastard granite
  4. not genuine; sham; inferior

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

law bastard definition - legal

bastard Synonyms

bastard

modif.

  1. Born out of wedlock

    illegitimate, natural, fatherless; see illegitimate 2.

  2. Of dubious extraction

    false, adulterated, spurious; see false 3, impure 1, mixed 1.


bastard

n.

  1. An illegitimate child

    illegitimate child, natural child, spurious issue, whoreson, love child, child born out of wedlock, nullius filius (Latin), Sunday's child*.

  2. A rascal

    scoundrel, ne'er-do-well, cheat, rascal, son of a bitch* or SOB*, stinker*, rat*, fink*, ratfink*, heel*; see also rascal.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bastard Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • thieve: I want to know what thieving bastard has been spending my money.

Adjective modifier

  • greedy: It's the greedy bastards at the top who are killing the smaller cubs.

Modifies a noun

  • offspring: Now imagine the bastard offspring of the two shows.

Noun used with modifier

  • cheating: March 09, 2004 United 1 -1 Porto Article by The Editor Cheating bastards.
bastard usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

bastard quotes

We knocked the bastard off!

-Hillary, Sir Edmund Percival

It serves me right for putting all my eggs in one bastard.

-Parker, Dorothy ne¤  e Rothschild

Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through.

-Plath, Sylvia

bastard quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"bastard." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bastard>

APA Style

bastard. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bastard

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