hunchback

American  

[huhnch-bak] / ˈhʌntʃˌbæk /

noun

1. a person whose back is humped in a convex position because of abnormal spinal curvature.

2. humpback.

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hunchback British  

/ ˈhʌntʃˌbæk /

noun

1. a person having an abnormal convex curvature of the thoracic spine

2. such a curvature

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Other Word Forms

• hunchbacked adjective

Etymology

Origin of hunchback

First recorded in 1705–15; back formation from hunchbacked

Example Sentences

In Guillermo Cienfuegos’ enlivening, if at times unsteady, production at A Noise Within, the role is played by Ann Noble, who forgoes the outdated hunchback but adopts a seething, slithering, perversely seductive aura of menace.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

He saw the gloriously skewed al-Hadba minaret, known as the "hunchback", which had been emblematic of Mosul for hundreds of years, in ruins.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2025

This leads into an aspect that I want to discuss, which others have pointed out: Richard III is typically played by someone who is mimicking a hunchback or portraying scoliosis.

From Salon • May 18, 2023

You’ve heard of Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, the actor Brian Cox announces at the start of “Quasi,” but you haven’t heard this version.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2023

Then, as the tallow dwindled and the flame began to gutter in the wet wax of the candle, a hunchback approached the dais.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz