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• cad
  cad

  noun

  an ill-bred man, especially one who behaves in a dishonorable or irresponsible way toward women.
• CAD
  CAD

  noun

  computer-aided design.

cad

¹ American  

[kad] / kæd /

noun

cads plural

1. an ill-bred man, especially one who behaves in a dishonorable or irresponsible way toward women.

   Synonyms:

   heel, rogue, rascal, rotter, bounder

2. British Archaic.

   1. a local town boy or youth, as contrasted with a university or public school student.

   2. a servant at a university or public school.

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CAD ² American  

[kad] / kæd /

noun

1. computer-aided design.

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CAD ¹ British  

acronym

1. computer-aided design

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cad ² British  

/ kæd /

noun

1. informal a man who does not behave in a gentlemanly manner towards others

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• caddish
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cads
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cad

First recorded in 1780–90; short for caddie (in the sense “a person who runs errands and does odd jobs”)

Explanation

A cad is a man who is not gentlemanly or honorable, especially toward a woman. He asked the waitress for her phone number and left you with the check? That cad! Also known as a rake, a scoundrel, a rascal, or a heel, a cad is not a guy you want to be around too long. The word cad came from the word cadet, meaning a "servant." Later cad came to be a derogatory term used by students at British universities, referring to boys from local towns. Don’t confuse the word cad with the acronym CAD, meaning "computer-aided design."

Example Sentences

Inside the bacta tank is Cobb Vanth, the marshal of Freetown who Cad Bane shot and left for dead in “Boba Fett” Episode 6.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2022

As Cad Bane comments during his standoff with Fett: “One thing I can’t figure. What’s your angle?”

From The Verge • Feb. 9, 2022

"Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting reference Cad 2347/05Aug or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111".

From BBC • Aug. 6, 2021

Cad though he is, her feckless lover, the painter Anthony Winter, is still recognizably human.

From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2018

Cad is for Scot. caddie, errand boy, now familiar in connection with golf, and caddie is from Fr. cadet, younger.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest