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Glite Dictionary
to be an ogre

to be an ogre

1 9.3
Act in a mean, selfish way that scares others
  • idiom
  • Offensive
translation icon : portarse como un ogro
  • Try not to be an ogre about the chores—it's important to be fair.

Examples

  • If you be an ogre to your classmates, they won't want to play with you.

  • She didn't want to be an ogre, so she listened patiently to everyone's opinion.

  • Don't be an ogre to your coworkers!

  • Why do you always be an ogre during meetings?

  • He tends to be an ogre when he is under stress, scaring his team with harsh words.

  • If you continue to be an ogre towards your friends, they will distance themselves from you.

  • She doesn’t want to be an ogre, but her criticism sometimes comes off too harshly.

Synonyms

to be a grinch
vsto be an ogre
  • Offensive
8.8

To act mean and spoil other people's fun at parties

is more openly cruel and selfish, often intimidating or frightening people

Antonyms

charity
76 1.4

Being kind and forgiving toward other people

friendliness
16 1.0

A kind and pleasant way of treating other people

How Unkind

monstrous
27 7.3
cruel
522 2.7
to be an ogre
  • Offensive
1 9.3
unkindness
3 4.1
unpleasant
215 1.0

Surface Forms

be an ogre infinitive
was an ogre past
been an ogre past participle
being an ogre present participle
is an ogre third person singular

Morphology

be + an + ogre

The meaning is directly inferable from the constituents: 'be' + noun means 'act like' that noun, and 'ogre' denotes a harsh, frightening or cruel person. This composition follows a common cross-linguistic pattern (be X = behave like X) so a B1 learner who knows 'ogre' would readily understand 'be an ogre'.

Etymology

Be an ogre comes from old fairy tales where an ogre is a big, scary creature that eats or frightens people. That strong picture of someone cruel or greedy is why saying 'be an ogre' means 'to behave in an unkind or selfish way'.