Meanings
plural knuckle draggers
- derogatoryidiomaticoftenA large, strong, and rather dimwitted person.
The scientists were frustrated by the constant need to have knuckle draggers following them like mother hens.
2017, A.K. Brown, Humans on the Menu (Champagne Universe Series: Book 2), page 351 more example
Mickey was wide receiver on the St. Rita Football Team in 2007—a big strapping, robust south side knuckle dragger and chick magnet.
2008 December 21, Pat Hickey, “Prepare the Pulitzer”, in Chicago Daily Observer, retrieved 05 Jan 2009Synonyms: Neanderthal
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA large, strong, and rather dimwitted person.
Origin
An allusion to the practice of some large primates of walking on all fours with their knuckles close to the ground.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
knuckle dragger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knuckle%20dragger
“knuckle dragger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knuckle%20dragger. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knuckle dragger,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knuckle%20dragger.
Source: knuckle dragger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.