mongrel

American  

[muhng-gruhl, mong-] / ˈmʌŋ grəl, ˈmɒŋ- /

noun

1. a dog of mixed or indeterminate breed.

   Synonyms:

   mutt

2. any animal or plant resulting from the crossing of different breeds or varieties.

   Synonyms:

   half-breed, cross

   Antonyms:

   purebred, thoroughbred

3. any cross between different things, especially if inharmonious or indiscriminate.

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adjective

1. of mixed breed, nature, or origin; of or like a mongrel.

mongrel British  

/ ˈmʌŋɡrəl /

noun

1. a plant or animal, esp a dog, of mixed or unknown breeding; a crossbreed or hybrid

2. taboo a person of mixed race

3. sport toughness and physical aggression

   a tall southpaw with plenty of mongrel

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adjective

1. of mixed origin, breeding, character, etc

Usage

What does mongrel mean? The word mongrel is most commonly used to refer to a dog that’s a mix of breeds or whose breed is unknown. It’s used in the same way as the word mutt, and, like mutt, can be negative or ironically affectionate.  However, mongrel is also a racist slur applied to people who are considered to be or who identify as mixed-race. The racist slur half-breed is used in the same way. Even when it’s applied to a person without regard to race, mongrel can still carry racist connotations, namely the implication that such a person’s behavior is like that of people whom racists consider inferior. Less commonly, mongrel is applied to animals other than dogs (and other living things, like plants) to indicate that they are a result of crossbreeding. It has traditionally also been used in more general ways (as both a noun and an adjective) in reference to anything that’s the result of combining multiple unlike sources, as in English is a mongrel language. Such uses are usually derogatory, implying that such things are impure or deficient. The word hybrid is a neutral way to describe plants and animals that are a result of crossbreeding or, in the case of nonliving things, some kind of combination.

Related Words

See hybrid.

Other Word Forms

• mongrelism noun
• mongrelly adverb
• mongrelness noun

Etymology

Origin of mongrel

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English (once): heraldic term for a type of dog; equivalent to mong(e) “mixture” ( Old English gemang; mingle ) + -rel

Example Sentences

The mongrel called Mona escaped from its pet carrier on the way to a plane, running off across the runway in Buenos Aires, pursued by three vans.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

They have not yet missed Stuart Broad's bowling because of how few pacemen have been chosen on the tour, but they have missed his mongrel.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2024

Soviet scientists picked Laika, a stray mongrel found on the cold streets of Moscow.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2022

Whether it’s her notation of Archie’s blokish colloquialisms, Clara’s Anglo-Jamaican patois, the banter of two ancient Jamaican grouches or of second-generation Bengali teenagers, the mongrel texture of metropolitan life rises vividly from the page.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2021

She ran off like a limping mongrel, dragging it beside her.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García