schmendrick

S1C3H4M3E1N1D2R1I1C3K5
/ˈʃmɛndɹɪk/

noun

A stupid person; a fool; a nincompoop.

“Some schmendrick from downstairs asked if you could turn down your stereo.”

OriginYiddish שמענדריק →
Scrabble 25
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Meanings

nounschmendrick (plural schmendricks)

plural schmendricks · alternative schmendrik · alternative shmendrick · alternative shmendrik

  1. JewishUSderogatoryslangA stupid person; a fool; a nincompoop.

    Some schmendrick from downstairs asked if you could turn down your stereo.

Origin

  1. Yiddishשמענדריק
  2. Englishschmendrick

From Yiddish שמענדריק (shmendrik), from the name of a character in the operetta Shmendrik, oder di komishe Chaseneh (Schmendrik, or The Comical Wedding; שמענדריק, אָדער, די קאָמישע חתונה) by Avrom Goldfaden.

More words from Yiddish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish cienias, popychadło
  • cieniasa stupid person
  • popychadłoa stupid person
Russian шме́ндрик
  • шме́ндрик (šméndrik)a stupid person
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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