# bastard

/ˈbæstɝd/ (US) · /bˈɑːstəd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bastard
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a mean person

noun · CEFR B2 · Vulgar · Informal

a very mean, cruel, or unpleasant person.

For teachers: a contemptible or spiteful person; used as a strong insult.

- He is a real bastard for leaving his team when they needed him most.
- The antagonist was portrayed as a cold-hearted bastard who would sacrifice anyone to achieve his political ambitions.

### 2. a difficult thing

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

something that is very difficult, annoying, or painful to deal with.

For teachers: an extremely difficult, unpleasant, or arduous task or situation.

- That exam was a total bastard; I couldn't answer half the questions.
- Trying to fix the plumbing in this old house is a real bastard of a job.

### 3. born out of wedlock

noun · CEFR B2 · Archaic · Formal

a person whose parents were not married when they were born.

For teachers: a person born to parents not lawfully married to each other at the time of birth.

- In many old stories, the king's bastard son tries to take the throne.
- Historically, being born a bastard carried significant legal disadvantages regarding the inheritance of land and titles.

### 4. a lucky/unlucky person

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Humorous

a way to talk about a man, often showing you are jealous or feel sorry for him.

For teachers: a fellow or man; often used with an adjective like 'lucky' or 'poor' to express envy or pity.

- You won the lottery? You lucky bastard.
- The poor bastard had been working for twelve hours straight before he finally got a break.

### 5. not genuine or irregular

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

not pure or not the standard size or shape.

For teachers: of abnormal or irregular shape or size; having the appearance of being a cross-breed or impure.

- The carpenter used a bastard file to smooth the rough edges of the wood.
- The manuscript was printed on bastard paper, which did not match the dimensions of the rest of the collection.

### 6. very unpleasant

adjective · CEFR C1 · British English · Vulgar · Dialect

used to describe something very bad or annoying.

For teachers: used as an intensifier to describe something highly unpleasant or difficult.

- The weather has been bastard lately, raining every single day.
- It was a bastard cold morning, and the engine simply refused to start.

## Examples

- He's a real bastard for breaking the rules.
- The politician called his opponent a bastard during the debate.
- The term 'bastard' is often used in political rhetoric to demean opponents, though its vulgar connotations make it inappropriate in formal writing.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.