BULLY (bullied)
| Pronunciation (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does bully mean?
• BULLY (noun)
The noun BULLY has 1 sense:
1. a cruel and brutal fellow
Familiarity information: BULLY used as a noun is very rare.
• BULLY (adjective)
The adjective BULLY has 1 sense:
1. very good
Familiarity information: BULLY used as an adjective is very rare.
• BULLY (verb)
The verb BULLY has 2 senses:
1. be bossy towards
2. discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate
Familiarity information: BULLY used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• BULLY (noun)
Meaning:
A cruel and brutal fellow
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
bully; yobo; yobbo; yob; ruffian; rowdy; roughneck; hooligan; tough
Hypernyms ("bully" is a kind of...):
aggressor; assailant; assaulter; attacker (someone who attacks)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bully"):
bullyboy (a swaggering tough; usually one acting as an agent of a political faction)
muscle; muscleman (a bully employed as a thug or bodyguard)
skinhead (a young person who belongs to a British or American group that shave their heads and gather at rock concerts or engage in white supremacist demonstrations)
plug-ugly; tough guy (someone who bullies weaker people)
• BULLY (adjective)
Meaning:
Very good
Synonyms:
nifty; not bad; peachy; slap-up; smashing; groovy; swell; dandy; cracking; corking; bully; bang-up; keen; great; neat
Context examples:
he did a bully job / a neat sports car / had a great time at the party / you look simply smashing
Similar:
good (having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
• BULLY (verb)
Meaning:
Be bossy towards
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Synonyms:
push around; hector; bullyrag; bully; browbeat; boss around; ballyrag; strong-arm
Context example:
Her big brother always bullied her when she was young
Hypernyms (to "bully" is one way to...):
intimidate (make timid or fearful)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bully"):
domineer; tyrannise; tyrannize (rule or exercise power over (somebody) in a cruel and autocratic manner)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Meaning:
Discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
swagger; bully; browbeat
Hypernyms (to "bully" is one way to...):
blarney; cajole; coax; inveigle; palaver; sweet-talk; wheedle (influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something
Sentence examples:
They bully him into writing the letter
They want to bully the prisoners
