US /laʊt/ UK /laʊt/
noun Freq #24793

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a rude, aggressive, or badly behaved man or boy

    A drunken lout shouted abuse outside the station.

  2. 2
    noun

    a clumsy, awkward, or uncultivated person

    He played the country lout, though his manners were usually polished.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a rude, aggressive, or... yobruffianboor
2 noun · a clumsy, awkward, or... clodbumpkinboor
Opposites
Word family
Forms loutishlouts
Derived forms loutishloutishlyloutishness
Related forms churlbumpkinhooligan

Etymology

Probably related to older English lout or lowt ("to bow or stoop"), from Old English lutan. The route from stooping posture to the noun for a clumsy or ill-mannered person is plausible, though the exact development is uncertain.

Topics

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