Meanings
bogan1
plural bogans
- AustraliaNew Zealandslangderogatory stereotypeAn unsophisticated person from a working class background.
Bogans were Lockie's least favorite kind of people.
1999, Tim Winton, Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster, page 61 more example
The Reservoir I grew up in was populated by menacing, toothless Torana-driving bogans, crushed menthol-smoking pensioners and toddlers who swore.
2009, Catherine Deveny, Free to a Good Home, page 47Synonyms: adlay, bam, Barry boy, bazza, benny, bopper, brush, charva
- New ZealandderogatoryethnicslangslurAn Anglo-Celtic member of a lower socioeconomic group, stereotypically classified as wearing black jumpers or black concert T-shirts.
Synonyms: bevan, westy, westie, booner, white trash
- New ZealandderogatoryslangA petrolhead.
present singular third person bogans · participle present boganning · participle past boganned · past boganned
- derogatoryrareTo act like a bogan.
If you're coming in to cause trouble, don't bother […] bogan it up at home.
2008, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, (Please provide the book title or journal name)
bogan2
plural bogans
- CanadaNorthOntarioWesternderogatoryoffensiveslangAn indigenous person.
Negative Stereotypes: Indians, natives, bogans, nates, […]
2013, Feathers of Hope: A First Nations Youth Action Plan, archived from the original on 24 Apr 2016, page 683 more examples
Greg Quachegan, a teacher at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, was walking with his young daughters when someone yelled, “Bogans,” at them. He has no idea what it means, but it’s a slur aboriginal people hear often.
2015 December 8, Tanya Talaga, “One rape. A hate crime. Thunder Bay's simmering divides come to light”, in Toronto Star"There's young men, on the weekends, they will throw beer bottles at you and yell out 'bogan' or 'squaw' or 'whore,'" said Deanne Hupfield, who grew up in Thunder Bay.
2017 February 7, Lenard Monkman, “Indigenous people say racism-tainted drive-by violence all too common”, in CBC NewsIs that the same blue truck that is throwing rocks out the passenger window and screaming at natives calling them bogans walking on the street?
2017 June 1, “Evidence from First Nation student who survived Thunder Bay river attack resurfaces following eye-witness claim”, in National News
Bogan3
- A river of central to northern New South Wales, Australia, a tributary to the Darling.
- A local government area in New South Wales, Australia; in full, Bogan Shire.
- A locality in the Warren council area, northern New South Wales, Australia.
Bogan4
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn unsophisticated person from a working class background.
nounAn Anglo-Celtic member of a lower socioeconomic group, stereotypically classified as wearing black jumpers or black concert T-shirts.
Origin
bogan · noun, verb
Unknown. First appeared in Australia in the 1980s. Possibly in reference to supposedly unsophisticated people from remote outback places such as the Bogan River or Bogan Gate (cf. dubbo from Dubbo).
Full word history & related roots →bogan · noun
Uncertain. Perhaps a contraction of pokelogan influenced by bog (or bogue), or a blend of logan (from pokelogan) + bog.
Full word history & related roots →Bogan · proper noun
Uncertain. Possibly from an Australian Aboriginal language.
Full word history & related roots →Bogan · proper noun
- IrishÓ Bogáin“descendant of Bogán”
- EnglishBogan
Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Bogáin (“descendant of Bogán”), a personal name from a diminutive form of bog (“soft, tender”).
More words from Irish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 土包子, 鄉巴佬 /乡巴佬
- 土包子 (tǔbāozi)unsophisticated or lower class person
- 鄉巴佬 /乡巴佬 (xiāngbalǎo)unsophisticated or lower class person
Finnish maalainen
- maalainenunsophisticated or lower class person
German Proll
- Prollunsophisticated or lower class person
Japanese 田舎者
- 田舎者 (inakamono)unsophisticated or lower class person
Māori tautara
- tautaraunsophisticated or lower class person
Polish bydło
- bydłounsophisticated or lower class person
Russian лох, быдло
- лох (lox)unsophisticated or lower class person
- быдло (bydlo)unsophisticated or lower class person
Thai คนบ้านนอก, ชาวบ้าน
- คนบ้านนอกunsophisticated or lower class person
- ชาวบ้าน (chaao-bâan)unsophisticated or lower class person
- ตาสีตาสา (dtaa-sǐi-dtaa-sǎa)unsophisticated or lower class person
- ลูกทุ่ง (lûuk-tûng)unsophisticated or lower class person
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with bogan
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
bogan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bogan
“bogan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bogan. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bogan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bogan.
Source: bogan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.