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ill-bred

ill-bred

1 7.1
Rude and showing bad manners
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪlˈbrɛd/
  • Offensive
translation icon : maleducado
  • They think it ill-bred to know anything about food or the kitchen.

Examples

  • We all have a right to our own opinion, and I think she's crude and a very ill-bred person.

  • You really are the most ill-bred man to come here at a time-

  • "Listen to me, you ill-bred witch."

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "I apologize for my ill-bred son," Jesus Maria said, quite taken by his performance.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • My own interpretation was that she lived in comparable terror that she would inadvertently say or do something that was considered very rude in his culture, and that we would drive away with Butros exclaiming, "What an ill-bred woman," and I explaining that she had been brought up on a farm and didn't know any better.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Many found his behavior at the dinner table to be ill-bred and inconsiderate.

  • The ill-bred remarks he made during the meeting offended several attendees.

  • She was surprised by how ill-bred the children were, behaving rudely towards their guests.

Synonyms

rude
vsill-bred
594 1.0

Not polite or showing little respect for others

focuses more on missing refinement and social polish
insolent
vsill-bred
22 7.1

Rude and not showing respect to other people

covers rudeness without necessarily implying arrogance or boldness
impolite
vsill-bred
21 2.3

Not showing good manners or respect to other people

stresses both rudeness and an absence of social refinement
boorish
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
13 8.2

Being rude and not caring about other people's feelings or manners

is broader, covering both coarse behaviour and missing refinement
uncouth
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
10 8.4

Not polite or well behaved in a rough way

emphasizes rudeness as part of a wider lack of refinement
uncivil
vsill-bred
9 6.0

Not polite and rude to other people

broadens this to include missing social refinement and polish
impudent
vsill-bred
9 7.9

Someone who shows no respect by acting or speaking boldly

describes impoliteness that need not be bold or shameless
ill-mannered
vsill-bred
5 3.9

Rude and impolite in how someone talks or acts

emphasizes lack of refinement as well as rude behaviour
ungracious
vsill-bred
4 6.7

Rude and not polite or kind

leans more to lacking refinement and social elegance overall
oafish
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
2 8.2

Clumsy and rude in the way someone moves or acts

focuses primarily on impolite or unrefined social behaviour
unrefined
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
1 6.0

A person who lacks good manners or social skills

is similar but also focuses on direct rudeness or impoliteness
indecorous
vsill-bred
  • Formal
1 9.2

Not showing good manners in public or formal places

focuses more on missing manners and social refinement specifically
ungentlemanly
vsill-bred
1 7.0

Rude or unfair behavior that shows little respect for others

applies more widely to rude behaviour unrelated to gentlemanly norms
unmannerly
vsill-bred
1 6.3

Not polite and often rude to others

highlights uncouthness as part of a refined absence
ungallant
vsill-bred
1 9.1

Not polite or kind to other people

is broader, covering impoliteness beyond chivalry or courtesy
bad-mannered
vsill-bred
1 3.3

Not polite when you are with other people

adds a sense of lacking refinement beyond mere poor manners
unmannered
vsill-bred
1 7.2

Not showing good manners toward others

adds that these behaviours also show low refinement
underbred
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
1 9.3

Showing poor manners and not acting politely around others

focuses more generally on rude and impolite actions rather than upbringing
ungenteel
vsill-bred
  • Archaic
9.9

Not polite and not showing good manners

includes that lack but stresses outright rudeness more strongly
lowbred
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
9.5

Showing bad manners and little respect for others

adds that rudeness is often the main visible feature
bounderish
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
9.9

Having rude manners that shock polite people

is more general about rudeness and missing social polish
solecistic
vsill-bred
9.9

Showing bad manners that make others uncomfortable

is more about general rudeness and absence of refinement
yokelish
vsill-bred
  • Offensive
9.9

Not refined and a bit like a simple country person

describes general rudeness or missing refinement across social contexts

Antonyms

329 1.0

Showing good manners and respect to other people

4 5.8

Polite and taught to behave well by family or school

How Polite

well-mannered
10 2.9
polite
329 1.0
impolite
21 2.3
ill-bred
  • Offensive
1 7.1
uncouth
  • Offensive
10 8.4

Surface Forms

ill-bred positive

Morphology

ill-bred = bred (transparent) = ill + bred

The meaning is directly built from the negative prefix 'ill-' (bad) + 'bred' (brought up), yielding 'poorly brought up' which is clear to learners.

Etymology

The word ill-bred comes from the parts ill ('bad') and bred ('brought up' or 'raised'), like the word breed, which is about raising animals. So to call someone ill-bred is to say they were 'badly raised', which is why the word means 'rude' or lacking good manners.