Meanings
plural swashbucklers
- A swordsman or fencer who engages in showy or extravagant swordplay.
Phillips, in his New World of Words defines, to swash, to make fly about; to clash, or make a noise with swords; and a swash-buckler, a vain glorious sword player or fencer, a meer braggadochoe, a vapouring fellow.
1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 80 - A daring adventurer.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna reckless impetuous irresponsible person
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From swash (“beat, strike”) + buckler (“shield”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian авантюрист
- авантюрист (avantjurist)a daring adventurer
Czech dobrodruh
- dobrodruha daring adventurer
Finnish miekkailija, hurjapäinen seikkailija
- miekkailijaa swordsman or fencer who engages in show or extravagant swordplay
- hurjapäinen seikkailijaa daring adventurer
- seikkailukertomusa kind of period adventure story
French bretteur
- bretteura swordsman or fencer who engages in show or extravagant swordplay
German Haudegen, Draufgänger
- Haudegena swordsman or fencer who engages in show or extravagant swordplay
- Draufgängera daring adventurer
- Mantel und Degena kind of period adventure story
Norwegian Bokmål sabelrasler
- sabelraslera swordsman or fencer who engages in show or extravagant swordplay
Polish szermierz, płaszcza i szpady
- szermierza swordsman or fencer who engages in show or extravagant swordplay
- płaszcza i szpadya kind of period adventure story
Portuguese capa e espada
- capa e espadaa kind of period adventure story
Slovak šermiar, neohrozený dobrodruh
- šermiara swordsman or fencer who engages in show or extravagant swordplay
- neohrozený dobrodruha daring adventurer
Spanish capa y espada
- capa y espadaa kind of period adventure story
Cite this entry
swashbuckler. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swashbuckler
“swashbuckler.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swashbuckler. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swashbuckler,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swashbuckler.
Source: swashbuckler on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.