assholes
|ass-holes|
🇺🇸
/ˈæs.hoʊlz/
🇬🇧
/ˈæs.həʊlz/
(asshole)
rude, contemptible person (also: anus)
Etymology
'asshole' originates from early 20th-century American English, formed by combining 'ass' (a crude term for the buttocks or anus) and 'hole' (opening).
'ass' itself is an older word for a donkey and by extension the buttocks; the compound 'asshole' appears in modern English as a blunt anatomical term and later developed as a strong insult meaning 'contemptible person'.
Initially used literally for the anus, over the 20th century it evolved into a common vulgar insult for an unpleasant or obnoxious person.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
vulgar: the anatomical anus (literal, crude).
The doctors examined the patients' assholes for infection.
Synonyms
Noun 2
vulgar insult for a person who is rude, mean, or contemptible.
Those assholes cut in line and didn't apologize.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/03 02:37