Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

bolshie

play
noun or adjective bol·shie \ˈbōl-shē, ˈbȯl-, ˈbäl-\
variants: or

bolshy

Definition of bolshie

  1. 1 often capitalized :  bolshevik

  2. 2 British :  refusing to obey or help :  defiant and uncooperative

See bolshie defined for English-language learners

Explore M-W

alt-596f7d8840dd5
Trending: Trend Watch: 'Admiral's Mast' & A Mystery At Sea
image386126722
Words That Come From the Dinner Table
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

Origin and Etymology of bolshie

by shortening & alteration

BOLSHIE Defined for English Language Learners

bolshie

play
adjective

Definition of bolshie for English Language Learners

  • : refusing to obey or help

Learn More about bolshie

  1. Britannica English: Translation of bolshie for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up bolshie? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

crucible

play

a severe test

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  2. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

  3. kakistocracy Frustrated Twitter users have been searching for this word.

  4. bona fide Made in good faith

  5. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

bolshie

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Add Diction

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

alt-596f730ceb5ae
Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

alt-596e1a928254c
Words We're Watching: 'Fidget Spinner'

Don't fight the fad

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Add Diction
Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game