pissant
Americannoun
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Slang: Vulgar. a person or thing of no value or consequence; a despicable person or thing.
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Obsolete. an ant.
adjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of pissant
1655–65, in sense “ant”; piss + ant, probably originally on the model of pismire
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.
In second place was nationalism, followed by pansexual, lodestar, epiphany, feckless, laurel, pissant, respect, maverick and excelsior — rounding out the top-10 words which received huge spikes in popularity in 2018 for myriad reasons.
From Washington Times
Other frontrunners for Merriam-Webster’s distinction, based on frequency of searches, were “nationalism,” “pansexual,” “lodestar,” “epiphany,” “feckless,” “laurel,” “pissant,” “respect,” “maverick” and “excelsior.”
From Reuters
He did so just days before Super Bowl LII after a guest host on one of the station’s other shows described Brady’s 5-year-old daughter as "an annoying little pissant."
From Los Angeles Times
Last January, he cut his interview short over a host at the station calling his 5-year-old daughter, Vivian, an “annoying little pissant.”
From Washington Times
It’s tempting to write these guys off as pissant basement-dwellers who’d never back those words with action, but at this point they’ve got a body count, and eye-rolling just isn’t enough.
From Seattle Times
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.
