ill-mannered
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ill-mannered
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at ill, mannered
Explanation
Someone who's ill-mannered is rude. It would be ill-mannered to show up an hour late to your cousin's wedding reception with a carful of your (uninvited) friends. If you act in an impolite, ungracious, or discourteous way, you'll be thought of as ill-mannered. It's ill-mannered to cut in front of people in line, to take a subway seat where an elderly person was getting ready to sit, or to invite everyone in your class except one person to your birthday party. Ill-mannered adds the prefix ill-, "badly," to mannered, "having manners," from manner, "way of doing things."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ill-mannered catcalls greeted the Russian and Japanese entries, and Britain's Pardao went off at 108-to-1 odds.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Ill-mannered varlet!" thought the old man; "but what can they be a-wanting with our Dummy?"
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John
Ill-mannered infant,” the King said, with bitter laughter, “it is now necessary that I summon my attendants and remove you to a nursery which I have prepared in England.”
From Chivalry by Cabell, James Branch
Ill-mannered booby! is this the way you treat the prince, who is to be our king?
From The Boys' And Girls' Library by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
