pithecanthrope
- noun
- /ˌpɪθɪˈkænθroʊp/
- Slur
:
simio
- He insulted his opponent by calling him a pithecanthrope after the heated argument.
Examples
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The coach warned the team not to behave like pithecanthropes on the field.
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Using the word pithecanthrope to describe someone is both rude and outdated.
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He acted like a pithecanthrope during the meeting.
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The way he spoke made him seem like a pithecanthrope.
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He insulted his opponent by calling him a pithecanthrope to emphasize his brutish behavior during the debate.
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The teacher said that yelling and throwing things would make us look like pithecanthropes instead of mature students.
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Describing someone as a pithecanthrope usually implies they are uncivilized and lacking social grace.
Synonyms
168
9.5
A person who treats other people very badly and unfairly
3
9.0
A rude name for a person who is cruel or very ugly
1
9.9
An insulting name for someone considered very ugly
A rude name for a person whose face looks like a monkey's
A dishonest person who cheats or lies to others
How Brutish
Surface Forms
Morphology
pithecanthrope = pithec + anthrop
Formed from Greek combining forms 'pithec-' (ape) + 'anthrop-' (man) which are not standalone English words, so learners cannot derive the meaning from familiar English bases.
Etymology
Pithecanthrope comes from Greek parts pithekos ('ape') and anthropos ('man'), so it literally means 'ape-man'. Because of that, it was used as a rude way to call someone brutish or uncivilized, which is offensive and now old-fashioned.