lout
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of lout1
First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps special use of lout 2
Origin of lout2
1250–1300; Middle English louten, Old English lūtan; cognate with Old Norse lūta; akin to little
Explanation
A lout is a clumsy, awkward oaf. If you want to insult the person who just stepped on your toes and belched, say, "Watch where you're going, you lout!" Lout originally meant a bumbling, awkward fellow, both annoying and pitiful. But if you call someone a lout today, you're also implying that he's not only stupid and clumsy, but that he's no good. Lout is almost never used for women, because the word has an implication of being bad to women — not abusive so much as selfish. If everyone thinks your boyfriend is a lowdown, disgusting lout, you might want to try dating someone else.
Vocabulary lists containing lout
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Easter, 1916" by W.B. Yeats
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"The Odyssey" by Homer (Part One)
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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.
"It's possible that their lout of a client insisted that the lawyers waste their meeting with general grievances about prosecutorial misconduct that already have been rejected by the courts," tweeted former U.S.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2023
At light speed, the action zips to Siberia, where it momentarily bogs down in an extended dance-off between a bald and shirtless Russian lout and Sonic and Tails.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 5, 2022
Hawke took this foul-tempered lout and turned him into the not-so-better half of a tough but surprisingly tender love story.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2019
Mick enters as a lout on the prowl, but we quickly come to see him as a tortured romantic — and a highly skilled chef.
From Washington Post • Jul. 6, 2018
"This lot?" said a big lout with a broken nose.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
