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old broad

old broad

5 9.5
An informal rude word for an older woman who is tough and speaks her mind
  • noun
  • Offensive
translation icon : vieja (ofensivo)
  • She's a tough old broad.
  • a tough old broad
  • a pushy old broad
  • an ugly old broad

Examples

  • You know... for an old broad, you're still pretty sexy.

  • Grab ahold, help this old broad up.

  • Tough old broad, that grandmother.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Maybe the batty old broad likes to follow ambulances around.

  • Last week this old broad comes to me and she asks me to find her niece, Misty Mountains.

  • I decided that I didn't look bad for an "old broad" who had refused to get any cosmetic surgery.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • She always speaks her mind; truly, she's a tough old broad.

  • My grandmother was a strong and independent old broad who never backed down from a challenge.

  • Despite her age, that old broad can still hold her own in a debate.

Synonyms

old woman
vsold broad
293 1.0

A woman who is past middle age

is informal and suggests toughness or strong will rather than neutral age
granny
vsold broad
  • Informal
47 1.0

An older woman who is your grandmother or a friendly older family member

is informal and stresses toughness rather than familial affection
little old lady
vsold broad
  • Informal
24 4.2

An older woman who seems gentle and harmless

is informal and implies toughness instead of harmless gentle image
abuelita
vsold broad
  • Informal
1 9.7

A loving name for an older woman used like a grandmother

is informal and implies toughness rather than warmth or cultural affection
biddie
vsold broad
  • Offensive
1 9.5

An older woman who is friendly and likes to chat

is informal but highlights toughness rather than being talkative or meddlesome

Antonyms

487 1.0

A girl or young woman in her teens to early twenties

How Tough

battle-ax
  • Slur
1 9.3
old broad
  • Offensive
5 9.5
old woman
293 1.0

Surface Forms

old broad singular
old broads plural

Morphology

old + broad

The meaning 'an older woman' is directly and transparently compositional from 'old' (elderly) + 'broad' (informal term for a woman); a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer 'old woman'. The primary extra information is register and connotation (informal/derogatory, sometimes implying toughness), but that nuance does not prevent the basic meaning from being predictable.

Etymology

Old broad comes from old slang where broad simply meant a woman and old was added to picture a blunt, no-nonsense older woman. That's why it usually means 'an older woman' who can be 'tough' or 'direct'.