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Glite Dictionary
to sound like a sheanderthal

to sound like a sheanderthal

9.9
Talk in a way that shows old, unfair ideas about women
  • idiom
  • Slur
translation icon : sonar a cavernícola (ofensivo)
  • He really sounds like a sheanderthal when he talks about women's roles at work.

Examples

  • Whenever he complains about modern relationships, he sounds like a sheanderthal.

  • Don't sound like a sheanderthal—it's the 21st century now!

  • Don't sound like a sheanderthal when discussing gender roles!

  • His comments sound like a sheanderthal in today's society.

  • Don't sound like a sheanderthal—it's the 21st century and we need to embrace equality!

  • Whenever he expresses his outdated views on women, he really sounds like a sheanderthal.

  • It's frustrating to hear someone sound like a sheanderthal when discussing important social issues.

Antonyms

progressive
251 4.8

Supporting new social changes in politics to make society fairer

enlightened
14 7.0

Having deep understanding of spiritual teachings and inner life

Surface Forms

sound like a sheanderthal infinitive
sounded like a sheanderthal past
sounded like a sheanderthal past participle
sounding like a sheanderthal present participle
sounds like a sheanderthal third person singular

Morphology

sound + like + a + sheanderthal

The frame 'sound like a ...' is transparently compositional (to seem like), but the key noun 'sheanderthal' is a nonce portmanteau (she + Neanderthal) that relies on recognizing the metaphorical use of 'Neanderthal' to mean primitive/backward and the gender cue 'she'. Because understanding the expression requires morphological decomposition and cultural/encyclopedic knowledge of the insult, its meaning is partially inferable but not fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase sound like a sheanderthal mixes she and Neanderthal, creating the image of someone who speaks like a primitive cave person about women. So, it means 'to seem old-fashioned or backward about women's rights and roles'.