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underbred

underbred

9.9
An animal whose parents are different types, not a pure type
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌndərˈbrɛd/
  • Offensive
translation icon : mestizo
  • The judge disqualified the underbred hound from the competition due to its ancestry.

Examples

  • The underbred dog struggled to keep up with the purebreds.

  • The shelter took in several underbred puppies from the local area.

  • Some breeders look down on underbred animals, but they can make wonderful pets.

  • Many believe that underbred animals should not be allowed in competitions.

  • Some breeders dismiss underbred dogs as less desirable because they are not purebred.

  • The judge found the underbred terrier ineligible for the dog show due to its mixed heritage.

  • Although underbred, the puppy was playful and friendly, winning the hearts of its new family.

Synonyms

half-breed
vsunderbred
1 9.3

An animal with only one purebred parent

suggests inferior mixed breeding or lack of good ancestry
outbred
vsunderbred
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Born from parents who are not closely related to have more different genes

emphasizes inferiority or mixed blood, not the diversity benefit
half-bred
vsunderbred
7.0

An animal whose one parent is pure and the other parent is mixed

implies inferior or poor breeding rather than just one pure parent
crossbred
vsunderbred
4.8

An animal or plant bred from parents of different breeds, sometimes from different species

focuses on inferior or poor breeding rather than just mixed origins

Antonyms

purebred
  • Specialized
11 4.6

Has parents and grandparents from the same family line without mixing with other animals

How Purebred

thoroughbred
3 7.1
pedigreed
  • Specialized
2 6.2
crossbred
4.8
underbred
  • Offensive
9.9

Surface Forms

underbred positive

Morphology

underbred = bred (transparent) = under + breed + ed

The prefix 'under-' signals insufficiency or lower degree when attached to 'bred' (not well-bred / not purebred), making the meaning directly inferable.

Etymology

Underbred joins under- ('not enough') with bred (from 'breed', the word for family or type of animal). So for animals, underbred means 'not a purebred' and is used for mixed or lower-status breeding.