mutt
noun
ˈmət 
1
: a stupid or insignificant person : fool
2
: a mongrel dog : cur
Did you know?
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.
Synonyms
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- deadhead
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- dolt
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dullard
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- goon
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- noodle
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
it's an expensive camera, and I'd rather not turn it over to some mutt
Recent Examples on the Web Their small four-toothed mutt, Rocco, makes his way across the small room, wagging his tail between an array of guitars and mounds of electronic parts. 
Josh Chesler, SPIN, 2 Aug. 2022 White kept the dog for a while, grew tired of the mutt ... and gave him to Irish Jack. Terry Pluto, cleveland, 7 Aug. 2022 The mutt was the puppy of Strelka, one of the dogs the Soviets had shot into orbit. John Kelly, Washington Post, 1 June 2022 Chloe tried to see if Sandy, a mutt, could swim on her own, but the small dog couldn't. Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 2 Aug. 2022 The New York chapter of the AMC would never let such a mutt through their censors; can the A.A.C. be less choosey? Outside Online, 5 May 2022 The researchers got their wealth of information from Darwin’s Ark, a project that Dr. Karlsson and her colleagues created by asking owners of any breed or mutt to submit DNA swabs of their dogs and answer questionnaires. New York Times, 28 Apr. 2022 Casper, my 17-year-old mutt, follows me everywhere. Longreads, 20 Apr. 2022 The largest of these is JoJo, a scrapper mutt of about 60 pounds. Kevin Fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2022 See More
Josh Chesler, SPIN, 2 Aug. 2022 White kept the dog for a while, grew tired of the mutt ... and gave him to Irish Jack. Terry Pluto, cleveland, 7 Aug. 2022 The mutt was the puppy of Strelka, one of the dogs the Soviets had shot into orbit. John Kelly, Washington Post, 1 June 2022 Chloe tried to see if Sandy, a mutt, could swim on her own, but the small dog couldn't. Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 2 Aug. 2022 The New York chapter of the AMC would never let such a mutt through their censors; can the A.A.C. be less choosey? Outside Online, 5 May 2022 The researchers got their wealth of information from Darwin’s Ark, a project that Dr. Karlsson and her colleagues created by asking owners of any breed or mutt to submit DNA swabs of their dogs and answer questionnaires. New York Times, 28 Apr. 2022 Casper, my 17-year-old mutt, follows me everywhere. Longreads, 20 Apr. 2022 The largest of these is JoJo, a scrapper mutt of about 60 pounds. Kevin Fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
short for muttonhead dull-witted person
First Known Use
1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
mutt
noun
ˈmət
: a dog that is a mix of usually undetermined breeds
mutts
noun
as in idiots
a stupid person it's an expensive camera, and I'd rather not turn it over to some mutt Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- idiots
- morons
- stupids
- lunatics
- prats
- losers
- fools
- knuckleheads
- ignoramuses
- imbeciles
- dummies
- yahoos
- dunderheads
- dolts
- geese
- donkeys
- dullards
- dimwits
- chuckleheads
- oafs
- lunkheads
- boneheads
- dopes
- blockheads
- goons
- numskulls
- bubbleheads
- pinheads
- jackasses
- doofuses
- airheads
- numbskulls
- nimrods
- ninnies
- turkeys
- naturals
- hardheads
- goofs
- schlubs
- noddies
- loons
- deadheads
- simpletons
- dorks
- ratbags
- cretins
- nuts
- ganders
- hammerheads
- jerks
- clowns
- dodos
- nitwits
- lumps
- dunces
- meatheads
- fatheads
- chowderheads
- noodles
- golems
- stocks
- stupes
- shlubs
- ignorami
- schnooks
- clucks
- nincompoops
- villains
- half-wits
- loggerheads
- dumb clucks
- birdbrains
- nits
- buffoons
- skunks
- dips
- sapheads
- skunk
- dumbbells
- dum-dums
- loonies
- snakes
- know-nothings
- lamebrains
- dumbheads
- thickheads
- clunks
- cuddies
- dim bulbs
- dufuses
- clots
- zanies
- beasts
- momes
- mugs
- dodoes
- curs
- woodenheads
- madmen
- clodpoles
- ninnyhammers
- boobies
- clodpolls
- dummkopfs
- stinkers
- cads
- yo-yos
- gawks
- creeps
- churls
- boors
- scatterbrains
- heels
- featherbrains
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- brains
- geniuses
- intellectuals
- thinkers
- sages
- genii
- intellects
- wizards
- whizzes
- polymaths
- sharpies
- Renaissance men