ill breeding

A child's ill breeding was evident when he refused to share his toys.

Definition

Noun (uncountable) - Lack of good manners or refinement: "ill breeding" refers to a deficiency in polite behavior, social grace, or proper upbringing, often resulting in rude or uncouth actions. - Poor upbringing: the state of having been raised without proper instruction in social etiquette or moral conduct.

Usage Examples

• (His rude actions demonstrated a lack of proper manners.)
• (She attributed his poor behavior to inadequate upbringing.)
• (His lack of social refinement was obvious.)

Advanced Usage

• "to show ill breeding": to demonstrate a lack of manners through one's actions.
  • He showed his ill breeding by speaking with his mouth full. (He displayed poor upbringing through his table manners.)
• "a mark of ill breeding": an action or characteristic that indicates poor upbringing.
  • Interrupting others is considered a mark of ill breeding in formal settings. (It is a sign of lacking social grace.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ill-bred (adj): having or showing poor manners or upbringing.
  • The ill-bred child refused to say thank you. (The child lacked proper social training.)
• Breeding (n): the process of raising or training, especially in manners or social behavior.
  • Her good breeding was apparent in her polite speech. (Her upbringing was evident in her refined behavior.)

Synonyms

• Bad manners: rude or impolite behavior.
• Poor upbringing: inadequate instruction in social conduct.
• Rudeness: lack of respect or courtesy.
• Uncouthness: lack of refinement or polish.

Antonyms

• Good breeding: proper manners and refined upbringing.
• Politeness: courteous and respectful behavior.
• Refinement: elegance and social grace.

Related Idioms

• "Born in a barn": used to describe someone with very bad manners, especially at the table.
  • Close the door! Were you born in a barn? (The speaker implies the person has ill breeding due to leaving the door open.)
• "No class": lacking social refinement or sophistication.
  • His loud jokes showed he had no class. (His behavior indicated ill breeding.)

Usage Notes

• "Ill breeding" is typically used as a formal or literary term to criticize someone's lack of manners or social training. It is less common in everyday speech, where phrases like "bad manners" or "rude behavior" are more frequent. The term often implies a judgment about a person's upbringing rather than just a single incident.