Nurse Ratched

noun

A sadistic, controlling woman, especially a nurse, in a position of authority.

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Meanings

nounNurse Ratched (plural Nurse Ratcheds)

plural Nurse Ratcheds

  1. A sadistic, controlling woman, especially a nurse, in a position of authority.

Origin

Coined for the fictional character Nurse Ratched, the head nurse in Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (and the 1975 film adaptation, in which she was portrayed by actress Louise Fletcher).

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Cite this entry
APA

Nurse Ratched. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nurse%20Ratched

MLA

“Nurse Ratched.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nurse%20Ratched. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Nurse Ratched,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nurse%20Ratched.

Source: Nurse Ratched on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.