bastard
bastard — noun
1. a very rude name for a person, especially a man, whom you see as nasty, selfish,
a very rude name for a person, especially a man, whom you see as nasty, selfish, or cruel
That bastard lied to the whole team about the missing cash.
call somebody a bastard
Eva called the driver a bastard after he splashed her with muddy water.
You lucky bastard, you got front-row seats for the final.
pattern: lucky bastard
Poor bastard, Ken broke his leg two days before the wedding.
pattern: poor bastard
- lucky bastard
- poor bastard
- complete bastard
- selfish bastard
- gentleman
suggests a polite and decent man
- sweetheart
informal opposite for a kind person
Grammar Patterns
call somebody a bastard
you bastard
lucky bastard
poor bastard
Usage Note
Strongly offensive in direct address and still rude even when used jokingly. Patterns such as lucky bastard and poor bastard often add envy or pity instead of pure anger.
Common Mistakes
2. an old label for someone born before their mother and father had married
an old label for someone born before their mother and father had married
In the old record, the baby was listed as a bastard son.
historical record use
The novel follows a bastard raised outside his father's noble house.
Village gossip called Anna a bastard, though nobody says that now.
At the museum, Clara read bastard beside her ancestor's name on the chart.
usage warning: now avoided
- bastard child
- bastard son
- be born a bastard
- illegitimate
older legal or social term that is also often avoided today
- non-marital child
modern neutral description in social discussion
- legitimate
historical opposite used in old legal and family records
Grammar Patterns
be born a bastard
a bastard child
a bastard son
Usage Note
Old-fashioned and now usually offensive when used about a real person. It survives mainly in historical writing, old legal records, and discussion of past social attitudes.
Common Mistakes
3. something judged to be a mixed, doubtful, or lower-grade form of a known type
something judged to be a mixed, doubtful, or lower-grade form of a known type
The new machine was a bastard of three older designs.
pattern: a bastard of + noun
At the festival, critics called the film a bastard of comedy and horror.
At the plant sale, the nursery admitted this rose was a bastard.
At the coin fair, dealers dismissed the piece as a bastard copy.
pattern: bastard copy
- a bastard of three designs
- bastard version
- bastard copy
- original
the genuine source or model
- authentic item
the true version rather than a doubtful one
Grammar Patterns
a bastard of something
bastard version of something
Usage Note
Usually appears in technical, critical, or literary writing rather than casual speech. It often follows a bastard of + noun pattern when the speaker is judging something as a mixed-up or poor version.
bastard — adjective
1. used in old language for a child born before the mother and father had married
used in old language for a child born before the mother and father had married
Older newspapers described Hamilton as a bastard child.
historical label before noun
The priest refused to bless the bastard baby in the story.
That history book still uses bastard son for kings' children born outside marriage.
In the family portrait, the bastard daughter stood behind the other children.
usage warning: now avoided
- bastard child
- bastard son
- bastard daughter
- illegitimate
older formal label that is also widely avoided now
- non-marital
modern neutral description in social or legal discussion
- legitimate
historical opposite in older records and law
Grammar Patterns
bastard child
bastard son
bastard daughter
Usage Note
Old-fashioned and often offensive today. Modern English usually avoids it and instead describes the family situation in neutral words.
Common Mistakes
2. made from mismatched sources or ideas, so the result feels clumsy or badly plann
made from mismatched sources or ideas, so the result feels clumsy or badly planned
The editor cut the script into a bastard mix of thriller and romance.
bastard mix of + noun
Their website became a bastard blend of old code and rushed fixes.
The meal was a bastard version of paella with hot dogs.
Reviewers mocked the car as a bastard design copied from four brands.
- bastard mix
- bastard blend
- bastard version
- bastard design
Grammar Patterns
bastard mix
bastard blend
bastard version
Usage Note
Usually modifies nouns such as mix, blend, version, or design. It criticizes the result as confused or poorly put together, not simply unusual.
3. not the usual shape or size for that kind of thing
not the usual shape or size for that kind of thing
The builder had to order a bastard door frame for the narrow hall.
collocation: bastard frame
That old printer uses bastard paper sizes nobody stocks now.
collocation: bastard size
The workshop keeps extra screws for bastard bolts in old tractors.
Our kitchen has a bastard shelf width, so ready-made racks will not fit.
- bastard size
- bastard frame
- bastard bolt
- bastard width
- irregular
broad word for something not following the normal pattern
- non-standard
more neutral and technical
- odd-sized
plain modern alternative in everyday speech
Grammar Patterns
bastard size
bastard frame
bastard width
Usage Note
Commonest in trade or repair contexts, especially before nouns for measurements or fittings. It suggests a non-standard size that causes matching or fitting problems.
4. similar to a familiar type but not as pure, good, or typical as the real thing
similar to a familiar type but not as pure, good, or typical as the real thing
The hotel lobby used bastard marble painted to look more expensive.
bastard + material noun
Marco bought a bastard silk tie that lost its shine in rain.
The shop sold bastard leather boots for half the normal price.
Collectors rejected the vase as bastard bronze, not true bronze.
- bastard marble
- bastard silk
- bastard leather
- bastard bronze
- inferior
plain and general, without the comparison to a known type
- second-rate
strongly critical but less tied to resemblance
- imitation
focuses on copying rather than lower purity
Grammar Patterns
bastard leather
bastard silk
bastard bronze
Usage Note
Often appears before nouns for materials or types in trade, collecting, or criticism. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense means lower grade or less typical, while sense 5 means plainly fake or not properly authorized.
5. not genuine, or not backed by proper authority even though it may look real
not genuine, or not backed by proper authority even though it may look real
Police warned schools about a bastard charity asking parents for cash.
bastard + organization noun
The club expelled members who joined a bastard group using its letters.
Reporters exposed a bastard permit with the mayor's copied stamp.
That website sells bastard tickets that never scan at the gate.
collocation: bastard ticket
- bastard permit
- bastard ticket
- bastard group
- bastard charity
- fake
the everyday word for something not real
- bogus
informal and often used for claims, papers, or groups
- unauthorized
focuses on lack of permission rather than appearance
Grammar Patterns
bastard permit
bastard ticket
bastard group
Usage Note
Used when something borrows the look, name, or authority of the real thing without actually having that status. Distinguish from sense 4, which can still describe a real but lower-grade type.
Word family
- bastardizeverbC2
- bastardlyadjectiveC2
- bastardynounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For noun sense 1, bastard is one of the harshest everyday insults for a nasty or cruel person. Jerk is much milder and often fits rudeness, selfish driving, or thoughtless behavior without sounding shocking. Creep points to someone who makes other people feel uneasy, dirty, or unsafe, especially through strange or sexual behavior. Brute stresses rough force and physical cruelty. Swine sounds more old-fashioned or theatrical, and speakers often choose it for comic anger. So a driver who cuts in line may be a jerk, a man who follows women at night is a creep, and a husband who beats his family is a brute. Bastard can cover all of these when the speaker wants maximum anger.
Etymology
Bastard came into English in the Middle English period from Anglo-French and Old French bastard. The deeper origin is uncertain. One old explanation connects it with an Old French phrase meaning a packsaddle child, but modern dictionaries treat that story as possible rather than certain. The earliest English use was for a child born outside marriage. Later the word spread into harsh insults and into technical uses for mixed, irregular, inferior, or false things.