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heckler

heckler

14 7.1
A person who interrupts a speaker or performer with rude comments
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛklər/
translation icon : abucheador
  • During the comedy show, the heckler shouted out rude comments that disrupted the performance.
  • a heckler's veto

And you know, we thought that we'd get a lot of hecklers, which we did.

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Examples

  • We were on-stage and we had a horrible little heckler.

  • Do you think Babe let hecklers from the gallery bother her?

    Fiction book (1999)
  • How could you let a heckler get to you like that?

  • Ignoring the heckler, Leo continued.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • And the pointless heckler arrives with absolutely nothing of worth to say, right on schedule.

    Blog text (3)
  • When he called on the Vigilant California to take back cities and universities... he was interrupted by a heckler.

  • And you know, we thought that we'd get a lot of hecklers, which we did.

  • We must accept that being in the arena means enduring the hecklers in the cheap seats.

    Blog text (21)
  • A brave heckler stood up from the crowd and shouted, "Why don't you hire some?"

    Blog text (30)
  • Well, most of us in the public eye, whether we're news journalists or comedians or professional athletes, have had to face a Heckler a time or two.

Synonyms

disruptor
vsheckler
2 6.5

A person who interrupts a meeting or event and causes disorder

targets a live speaker with mocking interruptions and questions
mocker
vsheckler
2 7.1

A person who makes fun of others to show disrespect

does that by interrupting a public speaker with derisive comments
disrupter
vsheckler
1 6.0

A person who interrupts a meeting or class and disturbs others

focuses on interrupting a public speaker with derisive comments or jokes
derider
vsheckler
9.6

A person who laughs at others to make them feel bad

uses mockery specifically to interrupt and challenge a public speaker

How Disruptive

shouter
2 3.9
heckler
14 7.1
interrupter
1 4.0
questioner
  • Formal
23 3.2

Surface Forms

heckler singular
hecklers plural

Morphology

heckler = heckle (transparent) = heckle + er

Agentive noun formed from the verb 'heckle' with the productive English suffix '-er', so the meaning ('a person who heckles') is directly derived.

Etymology

Heckler comes from the verb heckle, which once meant to 'comb' or 'pick apart' threads when making cloth, so picture someone picking at a speaker's words. That's why a heckler is a person who interrupts or teases a speaker with rude or challenging comments.