mongrel

[ muhng-gruhl, mong- ]

/ ˈmʌŋ grəl, ˈmɒŋ- /

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noun

a dog of mixed or indeterminate breed.

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

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

adjective

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

Nearby words

Origin of mongrel

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

SYNONYMS FOR mongrel

1. mutt. 2. cross, half-breed. See hybrid.

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ANTONYMS FOR mongrel

2. thoroughbred, purebred.

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Related formsmon·grel·ism, mon·grel·ness, nounmon·grel·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mongrel

On the one hand, Wilfred is a pot-smoking, hard-drinking, Matt Damon-loving, mongrel dog.
The Weird Existential Genius of ‘Wilfred’|Rich Goldstein|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The dog was a mongrel, maybe 35 pounds, and the kid was trying to balance it in front of him on the frame of his bicycle.
The Stacks: A Dog Dies, a Boy Grows Up|Pete Dexter|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Miscegenation would follow and a mongrel race would be the result.
Up From History, Part 4|David Frum|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sam Bungey grew up in London, went to university in Dublin and co-founded Mongrel, a monthly magazine about Irish youth culture.
Waiting for Obama|Sam Bungey|March 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He knows and we know that these mongrel herds, as he calls the outside enemy, are not so degenerate.
City of Endless Night|Milo Hastings
It was on the last Friday in the month that something happened which quite changed Miss Minnies attitude towards that mongrel.
Carolyn of the Corners|Ruth Belmore Endicott
His mongrel dog accompanied, keeping offensively near our heels.
The Pool in the Desert|Sara Jeanette Duncan
He shielded us from evil and death and the dagger of the mongrel chief, Boonda Broke.
Cumner & South Sea Folk, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Better than you I know this mongrel race, for I have already lived several months in the midst of it.
The Guide of the Desert|Gustave Aimard

British Dictionary definitions for mongrel

mongrel

/ (ˈmʌŋɡrəl) /

noun

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

taboo a person of mixed race

Australian and NZ sport toughness and physical aggressiona tall southpaw with plenty of mongrel

adjective

of mixed origin, breeding, character, etc

Derived Formsmongrelism, nounmongrelly, adjective

Word Origin for mongrel

C15: from obsolete mong mixture; compare Old English gemong a mingling

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mongrel

mongrel

late 15c., "mixed-breed dog," from obsolete mong "mixture," from Old English gemong "mingling" (base of among), from Proto-Germanic *mangjan "to knead together" (see mingle). With pejorative suffix -rel. Meaning "person not of pure race" is from 1540s. As an adjective from 1570s.

mongrel

noun

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mongrel

Examples from the Web for mongrel

mongrel

noun

adjective

Word Origin for mongrel

mongrel