underbred

/'ʌndə'bred/

Thân thiện

An underbred dog barks loudly at the passing mail carrier.

Definition

1. 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.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. of inferior or mixed breed
   • an underbred dog
2. (of persons) lacking in refinement or grace

Từ đồng nghĩa

• ill-bred
• bounderish
• lowbred
• rude
• yokelish