Attila the Hun

proper noun

Attila, kingly ruler of the tribe of the Huns and vast Eurasian Hunnic Empire and feared enemy of the Roman Empire, from 434 until his death in 453.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. historicalAttila, kingly ruler of the tribe of the Huns and vast Eurasian Hunnic Empire and feared enemy of the Roman Empire, from 434 until his death in 453.
noun
  1. Generally, a tyrant, or otherwise, a person characterized by ruthless aggressiveness.

    The workers were being supervised by an Attila the Hun.

    1982, Paul L. Brown, Managing Behavior on the Job, page 84
    5 more examples

    He also told me that while Rehr, in person, could be “a gracious and friendly guy,” he was clearly “the Attila the Hun of the alcoholic beverage industry.

    2004, Ken Wells, Travels with Barley: A Journey Through Beer Culture in America, page 172

    He didn't know then that he had hired the Attila the Hun of ambitious young lawyers.

    2003, Gina F. Wilkins, The Family Plan, page 9

    They don't have a Jim Baker, they don't have a warrior, an Attila the Hun.

    2001, Jake Tapper, Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, page 315

    The organizations don't tolerate an Attila the Hun in one office and a Mother Teresa next door.

    1998, Ole Ingstrup, Paul Stanley Crookall, The Three Pillars of Public Management: Secrets of Sustained Success, page 9

    What better way for them to get started, Grastos said, than for Onassis to call Roy M. Cohn, the Attila the Hun of divorce attorneys.

    1998, Edward Klein, Just Jackie: Her Private Years, page 270

Translations

Bulgarian Ати́ла
  • Ати́ла (Atíla)king of the tribes of Huns
Chinese Mandarin 阿提拉
  • 阿提拉 (Ātílā)king of the tribes of Huns
Danish hunnerkongen Attila
  • hunnerkongen Attilaking of the tribes of Huns
Finnish hunni Attila
  • hunni Attilaking of the tribes of Huns
French Attila, Attila le Hun
  • Attilaking of the tribes of Huns
  • Attila le Hunking of the tribes of Huns
German König Attila, Hunnenkönig Attila
  • König Attilaking of the tribes of Huns
  • Hunnenkönig Attilaking of the tribes of Huns
  • instead of Attila archaic also Etzelking of the tribes of Huns
Hungarian Attila hun király
  • Attila hun királyking of the tribes of Huns
Japanese アッティラ
  • アッティラ (Attira)king of the tribes of Huns
Portuguese Átila, Átila, o Huno
  • Átilaking of the tribes of Huns
  • Átila, o Hunoking of the tribes of Huns
Russian Атти́ла
  • Атти́ла (Attíla)king of the tribes of Huns
Spanish Atila
  • Atilaking of the tribes of Huns
Cite this entry
APA

Attila the Hun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Attila%20the%20Hun

MLA

“Attila the Hun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Attila%20the%20Hun. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Attila the Hun,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Attila%20the%20Hun.

Source: Attila the Hun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.