underbred
/'ʌndə'bred/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Of inferior or mixed breed: Used to describe an animal, especially a dog or horse, that is not of pure breed or is considered of poor breeding stock.
- (Of persons) lacking in refinement or grace: Used to describe a person whose manners, speech, or behavior are considered coarse, vulgar, or ill-bred.
Usage and Examples
- Describing an animal:
- The farmer dismissed the underbred horse as unsuitable for the prestigious race.
- She preferred purebred dogs and considered the underbred stray to be less valuable.
- Describing a person's manners:
- His underbred comments at the formal dinner embarrassed his hosts.
- She was criticized for her underbred behavior, such as speaking with her mouth full.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- The term underbred is often considered offensive or pejorative, especially when applied to people, as it implies a judgment about social class and upbringing. Its use is more common in historical or literary contexts.
- It can function as an attributive adjective (e.g., ) or a predicative adjective (e.g., ).
Variants and Related Words
- Ill-bred (adjective): Very similar in meaning, directly synonymous with the sense of lacking good manners.
- Unrefined (adjective): Lacking cultivation or taste; a less harsh synonym for the personal manner sense.
- Crossbred (adjective): Of mixed breed. While this is a neutral, technical term for animals, underbred carries a negative connotation of inferiority.
- Purebred (adjective): (Antonym) Of unmixed breed over many generations.
Synonyms
- For persons: Ill-bred, uncouth, vulgar, coarse, unmannerly.
- For animals: Mixed-breed, mongrel (for dogs), of inferior stock.
Antonyms
- For persons: Well-bred, refined, cultivated, polished, genteel.
- For animals: Purebred, thoroughbred, pedigreed.
Idiomatic Expressions
- While underbred itself is not commonly part of idioms, it relates to the concept expressed in phrases like:
- "Show one's breeding": To reveal one's upbringing through behavior. An underbred person would be said to show poor breeding.
- "Bad form": An old-fashioned term for ill-mannered behavior, closely related to the concept of being underbred.
Adjective
-
of inferior or mixed breed
-
an underbred dog
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(of persons) lacking in refinement or grace
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