pendejo

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 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 pendejo you have here. The definition of the word pendejo will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofpendejo, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish pendejo.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

pendejo (plural pendejos)

  1. (US, Mexico, slang, derogatory) A stupid person.

Usage notes

  • Typically only used by Spanish-speaking people.

Spanish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

pendejo m (plural pendejos)

  1. (rare, dated) pubic hair (a single hair growing in the pubic region)
    Hypernym: vello púbico

Etymology 2

Uncertain.

Noun

pendejo m (plural pendejos, feminine pendeja, feminine plural pendejas)

  1. (derogatory, vulgar, chiefly Latin America) arsehole, asshole, stupid, idiot, dirtbag, scumbag (a contemptible person)
  2. (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.
  3. (Southern Cone, colloquial) young boy
    1. (Southern Cone, Panama, colloquial) man child
  4. (Southern Cone) punk (an adolescent who presumes to be an adult)
  5. (Costa Rica, Caribbean) coward
  6. (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

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia