pissant

Or piss-ant

[pis-ant]

noun

1. Slang: Vulgar.,  a person or thing of no value or consequence; a despicable person or thing.

2. Obsolete.,  an ant.

adjective

1. Slang: Vulgar.,  insignificant or worthless.

pissant

/ ˈpɪsænt /

noun

1. an insignificant or contemptible person

adjective

1. insignificant or contemptible

Word History and Origins

Origin of pissant¹

1655–65, in sense “ant”; piss + ant, probably originally on the model of pismire

Word History and Origins

Origin of pissant¹

C17: from _piss + _ant

Example Sentences

Tellingly, the critics charged, there was his pissant output after the early acclaim.

Read more on Washington Post

In second place was nationalism, followed by pansexual, lodestar, epiphany, feckless, laurel, pissant, respect, maverick and excelsior — rounding out the top-10 words which received huge spikes in popularity in 2018 for myriad reasons.

Read more on Washington Times

Other frontrunners for Merriam-Webster’s distinction, based on frequency of searches, were “nationalism,” “pansexual,” “lodestar,” “epiphany,” “feckless,” “laurel,” “pissant,” “respect,” “maverick” and “excelsior.”

Read more on Reuters

He did so just days before Super Bowl LII after a guest host on one of the station’s other shows described Brady’s 5-year-old daughter as "an annoying little pissant."

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Last January, he cut his interview short over a host at the station calling his 5-year-old daughter, Vivian, an “annoying little pissant.”

Read more on Washington Times