ill-bred

adjective

ˈil-ˈbred How to pronounce ill-bred (audio)
Definition of ill-brednext
1
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste the ill-bred habit of chewing with the mouth open

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rude
showing a lack of manners or consideration for others only an ill-bred, conceited person would demand that everyone cater to their whims

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-bred
  1. vulgar
  2. rude
  3. crass
  4. thoughtless
  5. common
  6. unmannerly
  7. coarse
  8. uncouth
Adjective
  • The woman's attorneys argued that the decision wrongly gives school officials wide latitude to squelch political speech based on their personal ideas of what is vulgar.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There were fraternity brothers exchanging vulgar messages about the accuseron Snapchat, echoing what Willis says happened after she herself was assaulted in 2014.
    — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • No rude reality intrudes on Avedon’s dream city, where the women are beautiful and in love and even the bystanders are charmed.
    — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Which was frankly rude, since it’s been living in my house for a decade.
    — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • But the fashionable-at-the-time nakedness of the YBAs’ desire for money, most completely embodied by Hirst, quickly became crass.
    — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Murdoch is thick-skinned and accustomed to being underestimated by the condescending Brits, who see him as a crass interloper.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of crass
Adjective
  • Or maybe he was lured into his thoughtless comments because of the jocularity inside that room full of reporters.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • At the outset of this chatty novel, the protagonist, Caroline, who was recently ghosted by a thoughtless man, has had a story published in this magazine.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of thoughtless
Adjective
  • Why data centers became a bipartisan enemy Data centers have become the common enemy of Democrats and Republicans alike.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Infighting remains common among the factions, and there is still no clear political end state.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of common
Adjective
  • Criticizing gifts is unmannerly, and while one is not generally allowed to expect gifts, the rule can be bent in the case of romantic partners.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
Definition of unmannerly
Adjective
  • Authorization and enforcement are almost always too coarse for what production actually requires.
    — Alex Salazar, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Advanced internal valves are specifically engineered to filter out high-frequency vibrations from coarse road surfaces.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of coarse
Adjective
  • People had used rude words on television before, but never in such uncouth tones as Lydon and Jones in a regional ITV interview on 1 December 1976.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
  • His gruff mechanic Cooter Davenport is introduced as a hell-raising, uncouth wild man, constantly taunting the authorities and flouting convention.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncouth
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

ill-boding
ill-bred
illegal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ill-bred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-bred. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nexus

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

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

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All