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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
Examples of mutt in a Sentence
Devan Coggan, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2023
Like Selina Kyle being nibbled into Catwoman by her alley cats, Doug’s origin story involves a nurturing puppy pile and a preternatural ability to communicate with the army of mutts who, hilariously, do his bidding like henchmen in a gangster movie.
—Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
But just how accurate is the movie (in theaters now), inspired by an adventure racer (portrayed by Wahlberg) who comes across a shaggy mutt during a brutal championship trek?
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024
He’s played by Ukai, a mutt who delivers the strongest performance in the movie (sorry, Mark).
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
As a result, shelters are teeming not only with the kinds of dogs that people might imagine, like large-breed mutts and pit bulls; but also huskies, French bulldogs and designer dogs.
—Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Such crosses between different pure breeds may outlive the run-of-the-mill mutt and potentially even purebreds.
—Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 2 Feb. 2024
Another mutt, his future in-law Arya, was ring-bearer.
—Rick Montgomery, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
The motley crew of mutts include the scruffy border terrier Reggie (Ferrell), Boston terrier Bug (Foxx), Australian shepherd Maggie (Fisher), and Great Dane Hunter (Park).
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mutt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mutt
Cite this Entry
“Mutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutt. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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