sorehead

American

[sawr-hed, sohr-] / ˈsɔrˌhɛd, ˈsoʊr- /

noun

Informal.

a disgruntled or vindictive person, especially an unsportsmanlike loser.

Don't be such a sorehead, they won fair and square.

sorehead British

/ ˈsɔːˌhɛd /

noun

informal a peevish or disgruntled person

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of sorehead

1840–50; compare Scots sorehead a headache

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.

See Examples For:

sorehead

Other writers and players called him a "loudmouth," a "sorehead" and worse.

From Salon ● May 14, 2022

If you are a sorehead because you lost, you shouldn't play.

From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2016

"You would look likea sorehead if you didn't," he said.

From Time ● Apr. 12, 2012

Venomously hostile to everything military, it is a complete anthology of sorehead gripes.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Don't be a sorehead, Bill, just because you lost," put in Fatty Hendry.

From The Rover Boys on a Hunt or The Mysterious House in the Woods by Edward Stratemeyer

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023