underbred
Americanadjective
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having inferior breeding or manners; vulgar.
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not of pure breed, as a horse.
adjective
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of impure stock; not thoroughbred
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a less common word for ill-bred
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of underbred
Vocabulary lists containing underbred
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.
“It is underbred, not only in the obvious sense, but in the literary sense.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Mrs. Smythe’s abrupt remark jarred upon them, and simultaneously it occurred to them that she was distinctly underbred.
From The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies by Crane, Laura Dent
There was a cordial, hearty tone about the hostesses which was decidedly pleasant, although he was aware that Pauline would pronounce it sadly underbred.
From That Unfortunate Marriage, Vol. 1 by Trollope, Frances Eleanor
It is the tone of the average adult whenever he enters into conversation with any acquaintance under twelve—an underbred or quite uncalled-for tone of badinage, of quizzing, of insincerity.
From Literature in the Elementary School by MacClintock, Porter Lander
She knew quite well that Mrs. Desmond disliked the word mamma, considering it underbred; but the girl had told herself that she would call no stranger mother, and she kept her word.
From Unlucky A Fragment of a Girl's Life by Austin, Caroline
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.
