Meanings
plural whoresons
- archaicderogatoryAn illegitimate or misbegotten child born of unwed parents.
Ah, you whoreſon loggerhead, you were borne to do me ſhame.
c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]1 more example
Though this knave came something saucily to the world before he was sent for, yet was his mother fair, there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged.
c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i] - derogatoryliterallyvulgarThe son of a whore.
Ploughing whoreson!
1 more example
Thou whoreson zed! Thou unnecessary letter!
c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents
nouninsulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishhoresone
- Englishwhoreson
From Middle English horesone, hureson (also horessone, hores sone). Compare Dutch hoerenzoon, German Hurensohn (“whoreson”) and French fils de pute. By surface analysis, whore + son.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِبْن زِنَا, اِبْن شَرْمُوطَة
- اِبْن زِنَا (ibn zinā)illegitimate child
- اِبْن شَرْمُوطَة (ibn šarmūṭa)illegitimate child
- اِبْن عَاهِرَة (ibn ʕāhira)illegitimate child
Bulgarian копеле
- копеле (kopele)illegitimate child
Dutch hoerenzoon
- hoerenzoonillegitimate child
Finnish huoranpenikka
- huoranpenikkaillegitimate child
German Hurensohn
- Hurensohnillegitimate child
Hungarian kurafi
- kurafiillegitimate child
Italian bastardo, figlio bastardo
- bastardoillegitimate child
- figlio bastardoillegitimate child
Russian су́кин сын
- су́кин сын (súkin syn)illegitimate child
Swedish horunge
- horungeillegitimate child
Vietnamese con đẻ hoang
- con đẻ hoangillegitimate child
Welsh hwrswn
- hwrswnillegitimate child
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with whoreson
All rhymes →Cite this entry
whoreson. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoreson
“whoreson.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoreson. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whoreson,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoreson.
Source: whoreson on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.