warts and all

adjective

Of or pertaining to a description or other depiction which reveals the full range of characteristics of a person or thing, including the shortcomings and imperfections.

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Meanings

adjectivewarts and all (not comparable)

alternative warts-and-all

  1. idiomaticinformalnot comparableoften hyphenatedOf or pertaining to a description or other depiction which reveals the full range of characteristics of a person or thing, including the shortcomings and imperfections.

    Biographer Jones, for all his hero worship, belongs to the warts-and-all school, and notes some strange quirks in Freud's character.

    1957 October 14, “The Last Days of Freud”, in Time
    1 more example

    More than a quarter of a century after the fraught events that followed the privatisation of the railway, Corbett has provided a warts and all analysis of what led to the spate of rail disasters in the aftermath of the break-up of British Rail, and (ultimately) to the demise of the company.

    2026 March 4, Christian Wolmar, “Railtrack: what really happened”, in RAIL, number 1056, page 50
adverbwarts and all (not comparable)

alternative warts-and-all

  1. idiomaticinformalnot comparableIn a manner which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections.

    The new crop of reality shows brings us that much closer to the contestants, warts and all.

    2003 January 14, Donna Freydkin, “Young and voyeuristic”, in USA Today
    1 more example

    "We are very open and publish everything we investigate in detailed reports - warts and all," adds French.

    2021 December 29, Paul Stephen, “Rail's accident investigators”, in RAIL, number 947, page 33

Origin

In 1653, an artist, Samuel Cooper, was asked to paint Oliver Cromwell’s portrait. Cromwell preferred the portrait to be shown with “pimples, warts and everything” (i.e., to include any defects and imperfections). Over time, this phrase has come to be shortened to “warts and all”.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch wratten en al inbegrepen, in de staat waarin het zich bevindt
  • wratten en al inbegrepenof a description which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
  • in de staat waarin het zich bevindtof a description which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
Finnish kaunistelematon, kaunistelematta
  • kaunistelematonof a description which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
  • kaunistelemattain a manner which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
Polish ze wszystkimi przywarami, bezdyskusyjnie
  • ze wszystkimi przywaramiof a description which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
  • bezdyskusyjniein a manner which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
Russian со всеми недостатками, как есть
  • со всеми недостатками (so vsemi nedostatkami)in a manner which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
  • как есть (kak jestʹ)in a manner which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
  • без прикрас (bez prikras)in a manner which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
Spanish con todas sus imperfeccionescon verrugas y todo
  • con todas sus imperfeccionescon verrugas y todoof a description which does not conceal shortcomings or imperfections
Cite this entry
APA

warts and all. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/warts%20and%20all

MLA

“warts and all.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/warts%20and%20all. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “warts and all,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/warts%20and%20all.

Source: warts and all on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.