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• pansy
  pansy

  noun

  a violet, Viola tricolor hortensis, cultivated in many varieties, having richly and variously colored flowers.
• Pansy
  Pansy

  noun

  a female given name.

pansy

¹ American  

[pan-zee] / ˈpæn zi /

noun

• pansies
  plural

1. a violet, Viola tricolor hortensis, cultivated in many varieties, having richly and variously colored flowers.

2. the flower of this plant.

3. Slang.

   1. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.

   2. Offensive. a weak, effeminate, and often cowardly man.

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Pansy ² American  

[pan-zee] / ˈpæn zi /

noun

1. a female given name.

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pansy British  

/ ˈpænzɪ /

noun

1. any violaceous garden plant that is a variety of Viola tricolor, having flowers with rounded velvety petals, white, yellow, or purple in colour See also wild pansy

2. slang an effeminate or homosexual man or boy

3. 1. a strong violet colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a pansy carpet

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pansies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pansy

First recorded in 1490–1500, and in 1930–35 pansy for def. 3; from Middle French pensée “pansy,” literally, “thought,” noun use of feminine of past participle of penser “to think,” from Latin pēnsāre “to weigh, consider”; see pensive

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pansy Pansy pansies

Helen Litchfield, secretary of the botany section at La Société Guernesiaise, said the team's efforts in propagating the dwarf pansy meant it was no longer at risk.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

My own are his pansy collages, tightly packed, edge-to-edge congeries of overlapping floral faces that give off a bright radiance as well as well as a sense of menacing, staring eyes.

From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022

“Tucking in the plants for a winter snooze and watching grow winter flowers like primrose and pansy and cyclamen come to life.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2021

“We had a bright orange, leopard pansy print, which did brilliantly last season, but we wondered whether you might feel a bit brash wearing it at home,” Cameron says.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 25, 2020

“I like . . . you know, you’re so funny, and beautiful, and you ...” “Everyone’s beautiful. Everyone’s pretty as a pansy in a blister pack. That’s not what you’re talking about.”

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

Leola Davis owns Pansy Esthetics in West Hollywood, one of the few local skincare providers that caters to transgender people and nonbinary people post-operation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

“The Pansy Craze,” for example, takes note of pre-Prohibition-era underground clubs, often gay, where drag and other performers gained local fame, in addition to bohemian European establishments, some with a vibrant public face.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025

It focuses on Pansy, an irritable woman who is constantly starting fights with everyone around her.

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2025

The word depression isn't mentioned explicitly, but it's clear Pansy is struggling.

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2025

But Harry saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

"Dwarf pansies are definitely one of our very rarest plants, that will not be going extinct anytime soon," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

A military band marches among flowerbeds of pansies and violets.

From BBC ● May 3, 2025

In outdoor pots, red dogwood stems and evergreen boughs bring structure, while violas, pansies and ornamental kale add unflinching color, shrugging off light frosts.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023

He also planted pansies, Swanton said, which grew fast and quickly helped bring in some money.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2023

Flowers peeped out amongst the leaves; snow-drops, crocuses, purple auriculas, and golden-eyed pansies.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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