mongrel

M3O1N1G2R1E1L1
Canada, UK/ˈmʌŋ.ɡɹəl/US/ˈmɑŋ.ɡɹəl/Australia, New Zealand/ˈmɐŋ.ɡɹəl/

noun

A dog with a lineage of two or more breeds.

“That dog is a mongrel; who knows what breed it could be!”

UncommonScrabble 10

Meanings

nounmongrel (plural mongrels)

plural mongrels

  1. Anything of mixed kind.
    1. derogatoryoftenA dog with a lineage of two or more breeds.

      That dog is a mongrel; who knows what breed it could be!

      Synonyms: bitsa, bitser, bitzer, cur, mutt, tyke, Heinz 57

    2. derogatoryethnicoffensiveoftenslurA person of mixed race.
      1 more example

      The natives of Banda are very much mixed, and it is probable that at least three-fourths of the population are mongrels, in various degrees of Malay, Papuan, Arab, Portuguese, and Dutch. The first two form the bases of the larger portion, and the dark skins, pronounced features, and more or less frizzly hair of the Papuans preponderates.

      1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 456
  2. CommonwealthIrelandUKslangA thuggish, obnoxious, or contemptible person; (often preceded by "poor") a pitiable person.

    But somebody's got to tell these mums and dads why their kids died, why this mongrel thinks he can wipe them out like a dirty rag.

    2019 October 27, Natalie Wolfe, “Australia's worst serial killer's affairs with sisters-in-laws”, in New Zealand Herald
    1 more example

    "Yanto bloody Evans!" Jack stuttered with rage. "Yanto bloody Evans! That... that... bloody mongrel! D'you know who he is? He's the one who knocked me back for a bit of extra timber before the roof fell in on me!"

    2008, Jim Brigginshaw, Over My Dead Body, page 77

    Synonyms: bastard

  3. AustraliaslangAn erect penis; an erection.
adjectivemongrel (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf mixed breed, nature, or origin; of or like a mongrel.

    a mongrel dog

    2 more examples

    English spelling is often regarded as confusing and unpredictable due to the mongrel nature of that language.

    America is an improbable idea. A mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone.

    2001 September 26, Anna Quindlen, “A Quilt of a Country”, in Newsweek

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA dog with a lineage of two or more breeds.

nounA thuggish, obnoxious, or contemptible person; (often preceded by "poor") a pitiable person.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounderogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin

Similar
Broader

nounan inferior dog or one of mixed breed

Similar
Broader
dogdomestic dogCanis familiaris

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*mang-“mix; mixture”
  2. Old Englishġemang“mingling”
  3. Middle Englishmongrel
  4. Englishmongrel

From Middle English mongrel, equivalent to mong (“mixture”) + -rel (pejorative diminutive); from Old English ġemang (“mingling”) (whence Modern English among), from Proto-Germanic *mang- (“mix; mixture”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic هَجِين
  • هَجِين (hajīn)someone of mixed kind
Bulgarian мелез
  • мелез (melez)someone of mixed kind
Catalan bastard
  • bastardsomeone of mixed kind
Chinese Mandarin 雜種 /杂种, 混血兒 /混血儿
  • 雜種 /杂种 (zázhǒng)someone of mixed kind
  • 混血兒 /混血儿 (hùnxuèr)someone of mixed kind
Danish køter
  • køtersomeone of mixed kind
Dutch bastaard, vuilnisbakkenras
  • bastaardsomeone of mixed kind
  • vuilnisbakkenrassomeone of mixed kind
  • mormelsomeone of mixed kind
Esperanto senrasa
  • senrasasomeone of mixed kind
Finnish rakki, piski
  • rakkisomeone of mixed kind
  • piskisomeone of mixed kind
  • sekasikiösomeone of mixed kind
French bâtard, corniaud
  • bâtardsomeone of mixed kind
  • corniaudsomeone of mixed kind
  • métissomeone of mixed kind
  • métissesomeone of mixed kind
German Mischling, Mischlingshund
  • Mischlingsomeone of mixed kind
  • Mischlingshundsomeone of mixed kind
  • Promenadenmischungsomeone of mixed kind
  • Kreuzungsomeone of mixed kind
  • Bastardsomeone of mixed kind
  • Straßenkötersomeone of mixed kind
Greek μιξογενής, μιγάς
  • μιξογενής (mixogenís)someone of mixed kind
  • μιγάς (migás)someone of mixed kind
Hebrew מְעֹרָב
  • מְעֹרָב (m'oráv)someone of mixed kind
Hindi दोग़ला
  • दोग़ला (doġlā)someone of mixed kind
Hungarian keverék, korcs
  • keveréksomeone of mixed kind
  • korcssomeone of mixed kind
Irish crosanta
  • crosantasomeone of mixed kind
Italian bastardo, bastardino
  • bastardosomeone of mixed kind
  • bastardinosomeone of mixed kind
Japanese 雑種, ハーフ
  • 雑種 (zasshu)someone of mixed kind
  • ハーフ (hāfu)someone of mixed kind
  • 混血児 (konketsuji)someone of mixed kind
Latin hibrida
  • hibridasomeone of mixed kind
Māori peropero, kurī peropero
  • peroperosomeone of mixed kind
  • kurī peroperosomeone of mixed kind
  • mangarūsomeone of mixed kind
Norwegian Bokmål kjøter
  • kjøtersomeone of mixed kind
Polish kundel, mieszaniec
  • kundelsomeone of mixed kind
  • mieszaniecsomeone of mixed kind
  • bastardowyTranslations
Portuguese vira-lata, rafeiro
  • vira-latasomeone of mixed kind
  • rafeirosomeone of mixed kind
Romanian corcitură
  • corciturăsomeone of mixed kind
Russian дворня́га, дворня́жка
  • дворня́га (dvornjága)someone of mixed kind
  • дворня́жка (dvornjážka)someone of mixed kind
  • мети́с (metís)someone of mixed kind
  • мети́ска (metíska)someone of mixed kind
  • полукро́вка (polukróvka)someone of mixed kind
  • сме́сок (smésok)someone of mixed kind
Spanish perro mestizo, cacri
  • perro mestizosomeone of mixed kind
  • cacrisomeone of mixed kind
  • comecuandohaysomeone of mixed kind
  • comecuanduaysomeone of mixed kind
  • chuchosomeone of mixed kind
  • chuminosomeone of mixed kind
  • chuscosomeone of mixed kind
  • gozquesomeone of mixed kind
  • mil lechessomeone of mixed kind
  • perro aguacaterosomeone of mixed kind
  • perro criollosomeone of mixed kind
  • perro cruzadosomeone of mixed kind
Swedish byracka, gatukorsning
  • byrackasomeone of mixed kind
  • gatukorsningsomeone of mixed kind
  • blandrashundsomeone of mixed kind
Thai พันทาง
  • พันทาง (pan-taang)someone of mixed kind
Turkish kırma, melez
  • kırmasomeone of mixed kind
  • melezsomeone of mixed kind
Urdu دوغْلَا
  • دوغْلَا (doġlā)someone of mixed kind
Cite this entry
APA

mongrel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mongrel

MLA

“mongrel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mongrel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mongrel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mongrel.

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