donkey

noun

ˈdäŋ-kē How to pronounce donkey (audio)
Definition of donkeynext
1
as in mule
a sturdy and patient domestic mammal that is used especially to carry things we put our bags on the donkey and headed down the canyon

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in idiot
a stupid person called him a donkey when he refused to go along with their plans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of donkey Adults must crawl through doorways, buildings look like dollhouses and dwarf goats and donkeys hunker in the animal section. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 July 2026 Officials said a mix of exotic animals, livestock and domestic pets were living on the property, including dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, geese, donkeys, goats and pigs. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 10 July 2026 For percussion, the Peruvian quijada was utilized; it’s made from the jawbone of a donkey. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 9 July 2026 The director planned to film the killing of a live donkey, which would be cut up for food by actors portraying laborers. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for donkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for donkey
  1. mule
  2. moron
  3. burro
  4. stupid
  5. ass
  6. dummy
  7. jackass
Noun
  • Johnson is currently working on another small Canadian film, a true-story caper about a Vice editor’s side hustle as a drug-mule recruiter with Finn Wolfhard slated for the lead.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026
  • Merchant galleons coursing into the port of Caldera would be groaning with cacao, tobacco, livestock and hardwoods, transported down by mule from the transit hub of Esparza in the mountain basin above.
    — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of mule
Noun
  • God help us all if some idiot, some moron, ever put you in charge.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2026
  • Mantzoukas was willing to look like a maniac and a moron in equal measure.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Definition of moron
Noun
  • Some common options for hanging pots include succulents like burro's tail or string of pearls, trailing lantana, and trailing verbena.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
  • Drive the 14-mile, impossibly scenic Needles Highway and 18-mile Wildlife Loop through grasslands and forest—but be prepared to brake for bison and burros!
    — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 14 May 2026
Definition of burro
Noun
  • My dad has always said the lottery is a tax on the stupid.
    — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Problem is, even people who know baseball don’t know baseball, which makes betting on baseball stupid.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of stupid
Noun
  • As always, the ass-kickin’ melodrama begins and ends with our Mother Lioness, Zoe Saldaña’s Joe McNamara.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Not tastefully enough to refrain from gratuitous shots of McNichol’s bare ass in a scene where Billy argues in the bathroom with Cheryl.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 July 2026
Definition of ass
Noun
  • Most uncomfortable—not even a crash-test dummy would have enjoyed it.
    — The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026
  • On June 15, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted crash testing, using a three-year-old dummy to test the headrest at its highest position in both forward- and rear-facing modes.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of dummy
Noun
  • Still, the show never gets beyond Russ being a showboating jackass and Chad being the low-IQ projection of a showboating jackass.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Eminem In the first film, Joe Flaherty's character famously heckles Happy by repeatedly calling him a jackass right before he's set to putt.
    — Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 25 July 2025
Definition of jackass

Browse Nearby Words

Don Juans
donkey
donkey's years
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Donkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/donkey. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on donkey

Nglish: Translation of donkey for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about donkey

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