1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

bastards

noun

plural of bastard
1
as in jerks
a person whose behavior is offensive to others that bastard's behavior was completely out of line

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in guys
an adult male human being that lucky bastard has won the raffle three times in a row

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastards
  1. jerks
  2. guys
  3. clowns
  4. males
  5. dogs
  6. gentlemen
  7. skunks
  8. dudes
Noun
  • Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Ars OpenForum is a place for readers to ask questions, compare notes, argue (without being jerks to each other), and go down all sorts of rabbit holes.
    — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of jerks
Noun
  • The Chicago White Sox’s strength for most of this crazy season has been their bullpen depth, with Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson, Sean Newcomb and now Hagen Smith as their main leverage guys.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The locals don't even blink at the sight of guys like this who are about to delete 32 beers.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of guys
Noun
  • The excessiveness of Ken Russell, Joe Coleman, Tasha Tudor, clowns, migraines, Priscilla Presley, and the Winchester Mystery House.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Circus of the Damned — An evil ringmaster tries to restore his cursed carnival with a new cast of clowns.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of clowns
Noun
  • In the video, an older man is having a confrontation a group of younger males who are telling him to step away from them.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Two males and one female, the cubs were restless during vaccinations.
    — Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of males
Noun
  • Plus, those dogs checked the pipes far more often, making the entire fab safer for everyone.
    — Pat Gelsinger, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • PetMD recommends skipping the fancy labels and instead choosing shampoos that are pH-balanced for dogs and targeted to actual skin and coat needs like dryness, shedding or itching.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of dogs
Noun
  • This, ladies and gentlemen, is what’s known in the editing bay as foreshadowing.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That, ladies and gentlemen, is why the stock of Amazon surged Friday and took its hyperscaler peers along for the ride.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of gentlemen
Noun
  • The disease, which spreads through bites and scratches from infected animals, is most commonly carried by bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks.
    — Gagandeep Singh, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In Texas, rabies has been detected mostly in bats, skunks, raccoons and foxes, according to the state health department.
    — Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of skunks
Noun
  • Now, the real argument should be who they’re influenced by, and most of these dudes are influenced by Americans.
    — Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Jump scares, dudes with chainsaws, fake blood and adult drinks accentuated with gummy worms.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of dudes
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

bastardizing
bastards
bastardy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bastards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastards. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All