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piggish

piggish

2 6.9
A person who eats too much and acts greedy and rude
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɪɡɪʃ/
  • Offensive
translation icon : cochino
  • I am merely suggesting that if she wants a balanced discussion regarding men's piggish behavior, it would make the most sense to me to discuss the piggish behavior of women because I am of the mind that in 2012 there is a lack of pleasant behavior on both sides of the gender line.
  • piggish grunt
  • piggish face

Examples

  • There is much more than our human consumeristic piggish concerns on this planet, and it's time to realize it and start living accordingly.

    Blog text (12)
  • Babe, who never used his nose for anything but the piggish pursuit of food, soon found he could make his way through the trickiest of smellscapes.

  • Why are you Americans always are so piggish?

  • "The smile remained stiffly in place, but his piggish brown eyes were serious.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I remembered his piggish stamp of respectability.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • There was silence for a moment, and then a thoroughly piggish grunt, and the bulk was still.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • However, those ignorant, greedy, piggish buyers still got their chance to get out with their hides intact on Friday.

    Blog text (19)
  • I am merely suggesting that if she wants a balanced discussion regarding men's piggish behavior, it would make the most sense to me to discuss the piggish behavior of women because I am of the mind that in 2012 there is a lack of pleasant behavior on both sides of the gender line.

    Blog text (7)
  • Nothing stirred in the pens, no piggish grunts, no nervous clacking of a goat bell.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • His piggish habits led to him eating an entire cake by himself at the party.

Synonyms

gluttonous
vspiggish
3 7.2

Someone who always eats or drinks too much

is broader, adding greed and coarse manners beyond mere overeating
hoggish
vspiggish
  • Offensive
1 9.1

A person who takes more than others, especially food, in a greedy, rude way

is broader, focusing on animal likeness including manners and greed
swinish
vspiggish
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Very rude and greedy in behavior, like a pig

is similar but adds animal likeness rather than only nastiness
piggy
vspiggish
  • Offensive
7.4

Greedy and messy while eating, showing bad manners

is similar but emphasizes animal likeness and coarse manners rather than eating only
piglike
vspiggish
  • Offensive
5.2

Having messy, greedy, or rude manners

is about general resemblance often focusing on coarse or greedy traits
hoggy
vspiggish
  • Offensive
7.9

Being greedy and taking more than your fair share of food or things

is broader, covering coarse manners and overeating rather than only taking more
porcine
vspiggish
  • Offensive
8.3

Like a pig in look and behavior, often being fat or greedy

is more informal and focuses on rude greed and coarse conduct

Antonyms

328 1.6

Willing to give more than is expected, especially money or time

72 3.2

Caring more about other people's needs than your own

How Piglike

gluttonous
3 7.2
voracious
19 7.5
piggish
  • Offensive
2 6.9
greedy
256 1.4

Surface Forms

piggish positive
piggisher comparative
piggishest superlative

Morphology

piggish = pig (transparent) = pig + ish

Formed by the common adjective-forming suffix '-ish' on 'pig' (orthographic doubling of 'g' is regular), meaning 'resembling or characteristic of a pig' which learners can infer.

Etymology

Piggish comes from the animal pig plus the ending -ish, which means 'like' or 'in the way of'. So calling someone piggish gives the image of a person behaving 'like' a pig — greedy, messy, or rude, especially at the table.