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Glite Dictionary
🏹 Nomadic people ⚠️ Offensive term
Hun

Hun

5 9.9
An insulting word for Germans often used during wars
  • noun
  • /hʌn/
  • Slur
translation icon : huno
  • The propaganda portrayed the Hun as a ruthless invader during the conflict.
  • fight the Hun

Examples

  • It's our new weapon to punish the Hun.

    Aces High (1976)

  • We battled the Hun for you.

    Hollywood North (2004)

  • And spent five years fighting the Hun.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • We fully realised that we'd got to stop the Hun from getting over.

    Spitfire (2018)

  • The war against the Hun continues, and as Britain's Brave Boys battle against the Boss, their leaders are looking for the ultimate weapon in the war against the Hun.

    And Now for Something Completely Different (1971)

  • The Hun, fooled by the lumbering pace of the BE, had overshot.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • During the war, many people used the term Hun to describe their German enemies.

  • She referred to her rival as a Hun due to his German descent and behavior.

Compounds

Attila the Hun
7.9

A king of the Huns who invaded parts of the Roman Empire

Surface Forms

Hun singular
Huns plural

Etymology

Hun was later used as an insult for Germans during wars, especially in World War I, because people compared modern soldiers to the fierce ancient Huns to make them seem savage. That's why calling someone a 'Hun' for being German is now seen as highly offensive.