Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

dumbass en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˈdʌm.æs/
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From dumb + ass. It is likely that ¹ass (= donkey), not ²ass (= buttocks), was the original sense within this compound noun (solid compound or open compound), but neither sense is precluded, and many people today may uncritically parse the term in the latter way, even if it is misapprehensive. Apparent analogy with forms such as hard-ass and big-ass would naturally lend support to the second parsing. A similar synergy can be seen in the fact that the terms buttload and assload originated as literally meaning a cartload and the load transportable by a single donkey (respectively), but probably most English speakers today would assume that their derivation involves the buttocks.

Meanings

  1. (US, derogatory, mildly, slang, vulgar) Stupid, foolish.
    • I zipped my coat up to the neck, worried now that going to the march was more dumbass than I'd thought. It got closer—the only frigging thing in the road!—and I realized I was shaking. I couldn't move. 2015, Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely, All American Boys, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
    • That dumbass driver ruined my car!

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
dumb-ass alternative lexicographic
dumbarse Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, alternative lexicographic
more dumbass Degree=Cmp lexicographic
dumbestass Degree=Sup lexicographic
dumb ass alternative lexicographic
most dumbass Degree=Sup lexicographic
dumberass Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Relateds

hard-ass

dumbass en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈdʌm.æs/
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From dumb + ass. It is likely that ¹ass (= donkey), not ²ass (= buttocks), was the original sense within this compound noun (solid compound or open compound), but neither sense is precluded, and many people today may uncritically parse the term in the latter way, even if it is misapprehensive. Apparent analogy with forms such as hard-ass and big-ass would naturally lend support to the second parsing. A similar synergy can be seen in the fact that the terms buttload and assload originated as literally meaning a cartload and the load transportable by a single donkey (respectively), but probably most English speakers today would assume that their derivation involves the buttocks.

Meanings

  1. (US, derogatory, mildly, qualifier:sometimes considered vulgar, slang) A stupid or foolish person.
    • The dumbass walked off with my car keys and left me hers.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
dumbarse Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, alternative lexicographic
dumb-ass alternative lexicographic
dumb ass alternative lexicographic
dumbasses Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

dumbasshood · dumbassification · dumbassery · dumbassity · dumbassdom · dumbassness

Translations (66)

mh bōkāro (stupid or foolish person) · ru мудозво́н (stupid or foolish person) · sk debil (stupid or foolish person) · cmn 蠢驢 /蠢驴 (stupid or foolish person) · de Trottel (stupid or foolish person) · id dongok (stupid or foolish person) · ja アホ (stupid or foolish person) · ca ninot (stupid or foolish person) · ru приду́рок (stupid or foolish person) · ru муда́к (stupid or foolish person) · yue 蠢才 (stupid or foolish person) · cmn 蠢才 (stupid or foolish person) · cs blbec (stupid or foolish person) · az götəş (stupid or foolish person) · ru деби́л (stupid or foolish person) · su talingeuh (stupid or foolish person) · fr abruti (stupid or foolish person) · su boloho (stupid or foolish person) · jam half eediat (stupid or foolish person) · yue 傻仔 (stupid or foolish person) · es tontón (stupid or foolish person) · fi molopää (stupid or foolish person) · ms bangang (stupid or foolish person) · es boludo (stupid or foolish person) · es gilipollas (stupid or foolish person) · su belegug (stupid or foolish person) · gl apirolado (stupid or foolish person) · es pendejo (stupid or foolish person) · da dummernik (stupid or foolish person) · id bahlul (stupid or foolish person) · sv träskalle (stupid or foolish person) · fi tollo (stupid or foolish person) · fi tyhmä (stupid or foolish person) · fr crétin (stupid or foolish person) · cmn 傻屄 (stupid or foolish person) · ru муди́ло (stupid or foolish person) · pt asno (stupid or foolish person) · fr tête de nœud (stupid or foolish person) · yue 戇鳩 /戆鸠 (stupid or foolish person) · es mamón (stupid or foolish person) · es tonto (stupid or foolish person) · da dummerik (stupid or foolish person) · de Vollpfosten (stupid or foolish person) · id tolol (stupid or foolish person) · sv pucko (stupid or foolish person) · ru тупи́ца (stupid or foolish person) · id dungu (stupid or foolish person) · pt tonto (stupid or foolish person) · az gicdıllaq (stupid or foolish person) · ms dungu (stupid or foolish person) · fr andouille (stupid or foolish person) · ru ебла́н (stupid or foolish person) · bcl patal (stupid or foolish person) · ja 馬鹿 (stupid or foolish person) · de Blödmann (stupid or foolish person) · ms bahlul (stupid or foolish person) · id goblok (stupid or foolish person) · su goblog (stupid or foolish person) · ru долбоёб (stupid or foolish person) · ms bodoh (stupid or foolish person) · pt mula (stupid or foolish person) · ms dongok (stupid or foolish person) · es torpe (stupid or foolish person) · pt burro (stupid or foolish person) · es tarado (stupid or foolish person) · da dumrian (stupid or foolish person)