bogan

B3O1G2A1N1
/ˈboʊɡən/

noun

An unsophisticated person from a working class background.

UncommonScrabble 8

Meanings

bogan1

nounbogan (plural bogans)

plural bogans

  1. 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 6
    1 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 47

    Synonyms: adlay, bam, Barry boy, bazza, benny, bopper, brush, charva

  2. 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

  3. New ZealandderogatoryslangA petrolhead.
verbbogan (third-person singular simple present bogans, present participle boganning, simple past and past participle boganned)

present singular third person bogans · participle present boganning · participle past boganned · past boganned

  1. 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

nounbogan (plural bogans)

plural bogans

  1. CanadaMaineAny narrow water or creek, particularly a tranquil backwater.

    All around the shores of the narrow bogan crowded the beasts, watching with wide, fascinated eyes the flight and fall of these disastrous missiles.

    2001, Charles G. D. Roberts, Seán Virgo, Kindred of the Wild, page 130
  2. 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 68
    3 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 News

    Is 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

proper noun
  1. A river of central to northern New South Wales, Australia, a tributary to the Darling.
  2. A local government area in New South Wales, Australia; in full, Bogan Shire.
  3. A locality in the Warren council area, northern New South Wales, Australia.

Bogan4

proper nounBogan (plural Bogans)

plural Bogans

  1. A surname from Irish.

Synonyms & antonyms

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

  1. IrishÓ Bogáin“descendant of Bogán”
  2. EnglishBogan

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Bogáin (“descendant of Bogán”), a personal name from a diminutive form of bog (“soft, tender”).

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
APA

bogan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bogan

MLA

“bogan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bogan. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bogan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bogan.

Source: bogan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.