Gut — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb abbreviation /ˈgət/

Meaning & Definition of Gut

Gut (noun)

  1. bowels, entrails —usually used in plural
  2. digestive tract; also, part of the digestive tract and especially the intestine or stomach
  3. belly, abdomen

Gut (adjective)

  1. arising from one's instincts or emotions rather than logic or reason, visceral
  2. having strong impact or immediate relevance

Gut (verb)

  1. eviscerate
  2. to extract all the essential passages or portions from
  3. to destroy the inside of

Gut (abbreviation)

  1. grand unified theory; grand unification theory

Gut (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the internal organs of the body

    "the student dissected the frog and looked at its guts with a mixture of fascination and disgust"

    similar: entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals
    related: bowel(s), intestine(s), chitterlings, giblet(s), variety meat

  2. strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger

    "it took a lot of guts to rush into that burning building and save her cat"

    similar: bottle (British slang), bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, daringness, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, gutsiness, hardihood, heart, heroism, intestinal fortitude, intrepidity, intrepidness, moxie, nerve, pecker (chiefly British), prowess, stoutness, valor, virtue
    related: backbone, fiber, fortitude, grit, gumption, mettle, pluck, pluckiness, spunk, temper, determination, perseverance, resolution, endurance, stamina, stomach, tenacity, audacity, boldness, brazenness, cheek, cojones (slang), effrontery, gall, temerity
    opposite: cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, poltroonery, spinelessness
    near: cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness, mousiness, timidity, timorousness, feebleness, softness, weakness, impotence, ineffectualness, hesitation, indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution

  3. the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship

    "had the guts to keep running the race even though she felt like quitting"

    similar: backbone, constancy, fiber, fortitude, grit, grittiness, intestinal fortitude, pluck, spunk
    related: determination, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, intrepidity, intrepidness, nerve, stoutness, valor, endurance, forbearance, stamina, sufferance, tolerance, heart, mettle, spirit, audacity, boldness, brass, cheek, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, hardihood, nerviness, temerity
    opposite: spinelessness
    near: indecisiveness, irresoluteness, irresolution, vacillation, cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, faintheartedness, pusillanimity, timidity, timorousness

  4. the part of the body between the chest and the pelvis

    "eating too many french fries will result in a substantial gut"

    similar: abdomen, belly, breadbasket (slang), solar plexus, stomach, tummy
    related: middle, midriff, waist, paunch, potbelly, thorax

  5. an enlarged or bulging abdomen

    "an ever-expanding gut was sorry evidence that she had been neglecting her workouts"

    similar: bay window, beer belly, belly, corporation, paunch, pot, potbelly
    related: breadbasket (slang), stomach, tummy, chubbiness, corpulence, fat, fatness, fleshiness, obesity, overweight, paunchiness, plumpness, portliness, pudginess, chunkiness, heaviness, stoutness

  6. the seat of one's deepest thoughts and emotions

    "the film packs an emotional wallop that the viewer will feel in his gut"

    similar: belly, blood, bone(s), bosom, breast, core, heart, heartstrings, inner space, inside, quick, soul
    related: conscience, mind

Gut (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to take the internal organs out of

    "you'll need to gut the fish and wash it out before you can cook it"

    similar: clean, disembowel, draw, eviscerate
    related: bone, dress, cut, excise, extract, remove, withdraw, yank, transplant

Gut (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in visceral, impulsive

    similar: automatic, impulsive, unforced, unpremeditated, unreasoning, unthinking, visceral, born, congenital, natural, spontaneous, unlearned, untaught, connate, hereditary, inborn, inherent, innate, intimate, intrinsic, native, instinctive, instinctual, intuitional, intuitive
    opposite: alien, foreign, unnatural, nonnatural, cultivated, developed, trained

Related Entry: Gut-wrenching (adjective)

Gut-wrenching is a different word from Gut. The synonyms below are for gut-wrenching, not for gut.

  1. causing great mental or emotional pain

    "gut-wrenching decisions"

    "the novel's gut-wrenching opening scene"

    similar: alarming, bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, hair-raising, heart-stopping, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, terrifying, appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific, abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, abominable, evil, foul, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable, vile, grotesque, ugly, unsightly
    opposite: agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, cheering, comforting, soothing

Related Entry: Gut it out (phrase)

Gut it out is a different word from Gut. The synonyms below are for gut it out, not for gut.

  1. to continue despite difficulties, opposition, or discouragement

    "I know you're tired of being in the car, but can you gut it out until we get to the motel?"

    similar: carry on, persevere, persist, hang in there
    related: dig in, hang on, keep up, follow through (with), knuckle down
    near: give up, knock off, quit, bow, give in, submit, succumb, surrender, yield, falter, hang back, hesitate, shilly-shally, vacillate, waver, wobble

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Gut

The most common words with a similar meaning to Gut:

British slang: bottle
Chiefly British: pecker
Slang: breadbasket
entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals, bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, daringness, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, gutsiness, hardihood, heart, heroism, intestinal fortitude, intrepidity, intrepidness, moxie, nerve, prowess, stoutness, valor, virtue, backbone, constancy, fiber, fortitude, grit, grittiness, pluck, spunk, abdomen, belly, solar plexus

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Gut

Words with the opposite meaning of Gut:

cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, poltroonery, spinelessness, alien, foreign, unnatural, nonnatural, cultivated, developed, trained

Related Words for Gut

bowel(s), intestine(s), chitterlings, giblet(s), variety meat, gumption, mettle, pluckiness, temper, determination, perseverance, resolution, endurance, stamina, tenacity, audacity, boldness, brazenness, cheek, cojones, effrontery, gall, temerity, purposefulness, resoluteness, forbearance, sufferance, tolerance, spirit, brass

Near Antonyms of Gut

cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness, mousiness, timidity, timorousness, feebleness, softness, weakness, impotence, ineffectualness, hesitation, indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution, irresoluteness, vacillation, pusillanimity

Word Forms of Gut

Inflections: gutted, gutting

Origin & Etymology of Gut

Middle English, from Old English guttas, plural; probably akin to Old English gēotan to pour

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Gut

Words & Phrases Containing Gut

gut check, gut course, gut it out, gut-wrenching, blind gut, beer gut

Frequently Asked Questions about Gut

What does "Gut" mean?

"Gut" means bowels, entrails —usually used in plural. As an a noun, an adjective, a verb and an abbreviation, it is defined as: bowels, entrails —usually used in plural. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Gut"?

Other words for "Gut" include entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals, bottle and bravery. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Gut" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Gut"?

There are 150 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Gut". Common alternatives include entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals, bottle, bravery, courage and courageousness.

What is the opposite of "Gut"?

Antonyms of "Gut" include cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, poltroonery, spinelessness, alien and foreign. Near antonyms include cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness and mousiness.

How do you use "Gut" in a sentence?

Examples of "Gut" in a sentence: "the student dissected the frog and looked at its guts with a mixture of fascination and disgust"; "it took a lot of guts to rush into that burning building and save her cat"; "had the guts to keep running the race even though she felt like quitting".

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

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

Is "Gut" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Gut" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Gut"?

"Gut" is pronounced /ˈgət/.