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pendejo. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
pendejo, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
pendejo in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish pendejo.
Noun
pendejo (plural pendejos)
- (US, slang, derogatory) A stupid person.
Usage notes
- Typically only used by Spanish-speaking people.
Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Vulgar Latin *pectinī̆culum, diminutive of Latin pecten (“pubic hair, comb”). The unexpected /nd/ may be due to the influence of pender (“hang down, dangle”). Compare Portuguese pentelho.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /penˈdexo/
- Rhymes: -exo
- Syllabification: pen‧de‧jo
Noun
pendejo m (plural pendejos)
- pubic hair (a single hair growing in the pubic region)
- Hypernym: vello púbico
Noun
pendejo m (plural pendejos, feminine pendeja, feminine plural pendejas)
- (derogatory, vulgar, chiefly Latin America) arsehole, asshole, dirtbag, scumbag (a contemptible person)
- (derogatory, chiefly Latin America) dumbass (stupid person)
- Synonyms: idiota, (Spain) gilipollas, (Argentina, Dominican Republic) boludo
Paco reprobó el examen. Es un pinche pendejo.- Paco failed the test. He's a fucking dumbass.
- (chiefly Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) young boy
- (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) punk (an adolescent who presumes to be an adult)
- (Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico) coward
- (Peru, vulgar) perspicacious, perceptive, cunning, smart, clever, scoundrel
Le lanzaron un huevo a María. ¡Puta, qué pendejos!- They threw an egg at María. They're so clever!
Usage notes
- Although in some contexts zonzo, bobo, tonto, menso, culero, tarado, idiota, imbécil, estúpido and pendejo may be synonyms, in most contexts they have a different degree of intensity, with zonzo having the mildest connotation, increasing in intensity in that rough order, to estúpido and pendejo, which have the most offensive meaning.
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading