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Mutt can now be used with either affection or disdain to refer to a dog that is not purebred, but in the word's early history, in the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century, it could also be used to describe a person—and not kindly: mutt was another word for "fool." The word's history lies in another insult. It comes from muttonhead, another Americanism that also means essentially "fool." Muttonhead had been around since the early 19th century but it was not unlike an older insult with the same meaning: people had been calling one another "sheep's heads" since the mid-16th century.
Examples of mutt in a Sentence
Josh Max, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Oliver from Oliver & Company (1988) One of Disney's more underrated cats is an orphan who has to learn how to navigate New York City — with help from a streetwise mutt voiced by Billy Joel.
27.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
The two mutts were soon adopted by families, through the American Humane Society, without any mention of their role in lupine history.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
The British Ministry of Defence's answer is using the mechanical mutts to make detecting and defusing bombs safer and more efficient.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mutt
Cite this Entry
“Mutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutt. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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