Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

underbred

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: un-der-bred
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of inferior breeding or upbringing; vulgar, lacking in manners or finesse.

adj

Not purebred; of an inferior strain.

verb

simple past and past participle of underbreed

Example Sentences

"The art of governing these under-bred varlets lies more in the dignity of looks than in words […]."
"Himself, he felt the most underbred of all; he was afraid of these Utopians: snobbish and abject before them, he was like a mannerless earthy lout in a drawing-room, and he was bitterly ashamed of his own abjection."
"I prefer both sire and dam to be well-bred, but a well-bred mare and an underbred horse will produce a faster animal than a thoroughbred horse and an underbred mare."

Etymology

From under- + bred.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: under

Inflected Forms

more underbred (comparative) most underbred (superlative) under-bred (alternative)

Derived Forms

underbredness

Synonyms

uncouth rude impolite ill-bred bounderish lowbred yokelish

Antonyms

thoroughbred

Questions

What does underbred mean?: Of inferior breeding or upbringing; vulgar, lacking in manners or finesse.
Where does underbred come from?: From under- + bred.

How to pronounce underbred

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