Bully — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈbu̇-lē/ bul·ly

Meaning & Definition of Bully

Bully (noun)

  1. a blustering, browbeating person; especially, one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable
  2. pimp
  3. a hired ruffian
  4. pickled or canned usually corned beef

Bully (verb)

  1. to treat (someone) in a cruel, insulting, threatening, or aggressive fashion, to act like a bully toward
  2. to cause (someone) to do something by means of force or coercion
  3. to use language or behavior that is cruel, insulting, threatening, or aggressive

Bully (adjective)

  1. excellent —often used in interjectional expressions
  2. resembling or characteristic of a bully

Bully (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of the very best kind

    "that's a bully idea for reviving the town's retail center"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Bully (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons

    "the school has a procedure for students who want to report problems with bullies"

    similar: bullyboy, hector, intimidator
    related: antagonist, enemy, abuser, baiter, giber, harasser, harrier, heckler, mocker, needler, oppressor, persecutor, ridiculer, taunter, tease, teaser, torturer, goon, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mug, punk, rough, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie, cutthroat, felon, gangster, gunman, mobster, racketeer

  2. a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang

    "the local loan shark and his bullies have ways of making people pay up"

    similar: gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, punk, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie, yob (British), yobbo (British)
    related: cutthroat, scoundrel, villain, assassin, bandit, bravo, brigand, criminal, crook, desperado, felon, gunman, highwayman, lawbreaker, mafioso, malefactor, offender, outlaw, perp, perpetrator, pirate, pickpocket, racketeer, robber, swindler, thief, vandal, juvenile delinquent, tearaway (British)

Bully (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

    "the kindergarten teacher explained why it was wrong to bully classmates"

    similar: abuse, brutalize, ill-treat, ill-use, kick around, maltreat, manhandle, mess over (slang), mishandle, mistreat, misuse, take apart
    related: molest, outrage, violate, harass, harm, hurt, injure, oppress, persecute, torment, torture, burn, sandbag, victimize, wrong, beat (up), mess (up), rough (up), work (over)
    near: care (for), cherish, foster, nurture, baby, cater (to), coddle, favor, gratify, humor, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil

  2. to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats

    "the manager was fired for bullying employees"

    similar: blackjack, bogart, browbeat, bulldoze, bullyrag, cow, hector, intimidate, strong-arm, pick on
    related: bluster, trash-talk, affright, alarm, frighten, horrify, scare, shock, spook, startle, terrify, menace, terrorize, threaten, badger, harass, hound, bludgeon, coerce, compel, constrain, dragoon, force, make, oblige, press, pressure, push around, demoralize, psych (out), unman, unnerve, discompose, disconcert, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, upset
    near: cheer, comfort, console, reassure, solace, soothe, embolden, encourage, hearten, steel, convince, persuade

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bully

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bully:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
British: yob, yobbo
A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, brag, brave, bumper, capital, choice, classic, corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Bully

Words with the opposite meaning of Bully:

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched

Related Words for Bully

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional, antagonist, enemy, abuser, baiter, giber, harasser, harrier, heckler, mocker

Near Antonyms of Bully

bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate, care (for), cherish, foster, nurture, baby, cater (to), coddle, favor, gratify, humor, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil, cheer, comfort, console, reassure, solace, soothe, embolden

Word Forms of Bully

Inflections: bullies, bullied, bullying

Origin & Etymology of Bully

probably from Middle Dutch boele lover; akin to Middle Low German bōle lover, Middle High German buole

First known use: circa 1548

Words & Phrases Containing Bully

bully pulpit, crybully

Frequently Asked Questions about Bully

What does "Bully" mean?

"Bully" means a blustering, browbeating person; especially, one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: a blustering, browbeating person; especially, one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bully"?

Other words for "Bully" include A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip and blue-ribbon. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bully" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bully"?

There are 264 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bully". Common alternatives include A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo and bonny.

What is a slang word for "Bully"?

Slang words for "Bully" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Bully"?

Antonyms of "Bully" include atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten and terrible. Near antonyms include bad, inferior, low-grade and substandard.

How do you use "Bully" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bully" in a sentence: "that's a bully idea for reviving the town's retail center"; "the school has a procedure for students who want to report problems with bullies"; "the local loan shark and his bullies have ways of making people pay up".

Is "Bully" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bully" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Bully"?

"Bully" is pronounced /ˈbu̇-lē/ and divided into syllables as bul·ly.