Meaning & use

bastard

noun·Everyday

An offensive term for an unpleasant or contemptible person; archaically, a child born to unmarried parents.

See it in a sentence

He called his old boss a bastard after being fired without any warning.

In earlier centuries, a bastard child often had no legal claim to family property.

A note on using this word

The insult sense of bastard is vulgar and offensive; the older legal sense describing illegitimate birth is now considered outdated and disrespectful.

Words with a similar meaning

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