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lad

lad

618 1.1
People use it for a boy or young man when they speak in a friendly way
  • noun
  • /læd/
  • UK
: chico
  • The little lad smiled widely when he received his birthday present.
  • a young lad
  • lads and girls
  • working-class lad

Are you, are you a lad or are you a chap?

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Examples

  • That lad over there is helping his grandmother carry the groceries.

  • When I was a lad, I would play football with my friends after school.

  • You must get up, my lad, I told myself.

  • This is some young lad from from London, right?

  • The lad that was killed was a lad called David Moore.

  • Oh no, come on lads, get close.

  • Since he is a dutiful lad, he wanted your permission before he set forth after her.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I'm a little lad who loves berries and cream.

  • But we on the whole were a good set of lads, well behaved.

  • All right, Nellie, get the lad washed and cleaned.

Synonyms

guy
vslad
  • Informal
∞ 1.0

An informal word for a man or boy

is more affectionate and typically implies youth
kid
vslad
  • Informal
∞ 1.0

A young person, usually a child

focuses specifically on male youths with affectionate tone
young man
vslad
∞ 1.0

A male who is a teenager or a young adult

is used for boys and young men without precise age focus
fella
vslad
  • Informal
377 8.1

A man or boy used in informal speech

is similar but usually suggests youth and affection
fellow
vslad
  • Informal
333 1.4

A man or boy you speak to in a friendly way

leans more toward warm or affectionate talk about young males
kiddo
vslad
  • Baby Talk
145 7.2

A friendly, informal way to call a child or young person

is more specifically affectionate toward male youths
bro
vslad
  • Slang
113 7.7

A male friend or a brother

is affectionate toward young males rather than brotherly closeness
bloke
vslad
  • UK
106 8.2

A man, especially in informal British English

is often more affectionate and used for younger males
youth
vslad
101 1.0

A young person, often a boy or young man

adds an informal affectionate tone aimed at male youths
chap
vslad
  • UK
83 5.6

A friendly man or boy often used in Britain

is more affectionate and often used for younger males
schoolboy
vslad
41 1.0

A boy who goes to school

is not limited to school age and often feels affectionate
feller
vslad
  • Informal
18 8.2

An informal word for a man or boy

is more affectionate and common for younger males
laddie
vslad
  • UK
16 8.6

A friendly name for a boy or young man often used in Scotland

is the general informal affectionate term without regional marking
sonny boy
vslad
  • Archaic
11 8.2

A friendly name adults use for a young boy

is affectionate too but less playful and more general
bubby
vslad
  • Baby Talk
6 8.5

A loving name for a young boy or brother

is affectionate too but used outside family contexts as well
sonny
vslad
  • Informal
5 9.1

A friendly name people use when speaking to a boy or young man

is affectionate too but used more generally, not only direct address
chappy
vslad
  • UK
4 9.5

A friendly word for a man or boy

is more often used to show affection toward younger males
muchacho
vslad
  • US
4 7.9

A young man or boy in Spanish-speaking countries

means the same kind of affectionate young male in English usage
mijo
vslad
  • Informal
3 9.9

A kind word adults use to call a boy they care about

is affectionate too but used outside close family relations
boychick
vslad
  • Informal
2 9.9

A friendly word people use for a boy or young man

is affectionate too but used more broadly in informal talk
boyo
vslad
  • Slang
1 9.9

A friendly informal word from Ireland and Wales for a boy or man

is the wider informal affectionate term used across regions
chappie
vslad
  • UK
1 8.8

A friendly informal word for a man or boy in Britain

is similar but often used more affectionately for younger males
blighter
vslad
  • Offensive
1 9.3

A man or boy people talk about in a slightly annoyed but friendly way

is more straightforwardly affectionate without teasing edge
boychik
vslad
  • Jargon
1 9.9

A young boy people call in a warm, friendly way in Jewish families

is similar affection but used across general informal English
cholo
vslad
  • Philippine
1 9.9

A young boy or man called in a friendly way in the Philippines

is similar warmth but used broadly across English dialects
chico
vslad
  • Informal
1 8.4

A man or boy you call in a friendly way

is similar but more broadly used in general English
blok
vslad
  • Slang
8.6

A man in informal British English

is used more warmly and often for younger males
manchild
vslad
  • Archaic
9.9

A boy often in old stories or poems

is modern informal speech rather than archaic usage
little dudelet
vslad
  • Slang
9.9

A small boy people call in a friendly, playful way

covers young males generally rather than tiny children specifically

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Adult females considered together as a group

∞ 1.0

A young female who is not yet an adult

How Young

child
∞ 1.0
boy
∞ 1.0
lad
  • UK
618 1.1
young man
∞ 1.0
man
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

lad singular
lads plural

Etymology

Lad comes from an old English word that meant 'young man' and is like the Scots word laddie. So, lad is a short, friendly way to say 'boy' or a young man.