Meaning & use
feckin
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nouninformalslangIrishoffensive
Used before a noun to show strong annoyance, emphasis, or surprise, in a mild Irish swear word.
Grammar: Comes directly before a noun, like 'damn': that feckin car.
Patterns
- feckin + noun
Where are my feckin keys?
That feckin bus is late again.
He lost the feckin ticket on the way.
adverbinformalslangIrishoffensive
Used to add strong emphasis to an adjective or another adverb, in a mild Irish swear word.
Grammar: Comes before an adjective or adverb, like 'bloody': feckin brilliant.
Patterns
- feckin + adjective
- feckin + adverb
The match was feckin brilliant.
She was feckin furious about it.
We got there feckin late.
interjectioninformalslangIrishoffensive
Used alone to express annoyance, frustration, or surprise, in a mild Irish swear word.
Grammar: Stands alone as an exclamation, often at the start of a sentence.
Feckin! I forgot my wallet.
Feckin, that hurt.
Feckin, we missed the train.
Common combinations
- feckin hell
- Feckin hell, that was close.
- feckin brilliant
- The gig last night was feckin brilliant.
- feckin eejit
- He drove straight into the wall, the feckin eejit.
- for feck's sake
- For feck's sake, will you hurry up?
Synonyms and how they differ
- freaking
- Used the same way as a mild intensifier, but it is common in American English and is not tied to Ireland.
- bloody
- A British mild swear word with a similar emphatic use, but it sounds British rather than Irish.
- damn
- A general mild swear word used before nouns or adjectives, but it is weaker and not specifically Irish.
Commonly confused: feckin or fucking? feckin or freckin?
feckin vs fucking
This is a much stronger and more offensive swear word. 'Feckin' is milder and is mainly Irish, so the two are not interchangeable in polite company.
feckin vs freckin
This is a different spelling sometimes used to soften the word even more; it is not standard and may look like a mistake.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'feckin' in a natural, grammatical way?
Choose one answer.
'Feckin' works as an intensifier before an adjective like 'brilliant'. Option 2 treats it as a verb, option 3 puts it before a noun phrase in a way that does not fit, and option 4 uses it as a verb with 'to', which is not correct.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “feckin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.