pansy

[ pan-zee ]

/ ˈpæn zi /

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See synonyms for pansy on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural pan·sies.

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

the flower of this plant.

Slang.

Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.
Offensive. a weak, effeminate, and often cowardly man.

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Origin of pansy

First recorded in 1490–1500, and in 1930–35 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

Words nearby pansy

Pansil, Pan-Slavism, pansophism, pansophy, panspermia, pansy, pant, Pantagruel, pantalets, pantaloon, pantaloons

Other definitions for pansy (2 of 2)

Pansy

[ pan-zee ]

/ ˈpæn zi /

noun

a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pansy in a sentence

When a few presumably religious kids walked out, Savage called them “pansy-assed.”
Is Dan Savage the Gay Santorum?|Jay Michaelson|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The twist, when it comes, makes O. Henry look like a hopeless pansy.
Twelve Unusual Christmas Reads|Stefan Beck|December 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
When the introductions were over, he went directly to the side of Pansy, to the evident and rising amazement of Tootles.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
That confounded money-eating little flirt of a Pansy will give me the royal shake the moment she gets wise.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson

Well, Ill go down and give the invitations, said Tootles, who departed in quest of Pansy.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
These higher flights from Tootles always moved Pansy, who had a penchant for refined romance.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
He stopped to pick the first pansy he saw, when he left the snows, to send it to an English friend.
The Life of Mazzini|Bolton King

British Dictionary definitions for pansy

pansy

/ (ˈpænzɪ) /

noun plural -sies

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

slang, offensive an effeminate or homosexual man or boy

a strong violet colour
(as adjective)a pansy carpet

Word Origin for pansy

C15: from Old French pensée thought, from penser to think, from Latin pensāre

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

pansy

Origin of pansy

Words nearby pansy

Other definitions for pansy (2 of 2)

Words related to pansy

How to use pansy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pansy

Word Origin for pansy