bully
bully Lexical Profile
bully Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who habitually seeks to harm, intimidate, or coerce those whom they perceive as vulnerable or weaker.
"The school implemented a counseling program to address the behavior of the playground bully."
A method of starting or restarting play in field hockey in which two opposing players tap their sticks together three times over the ball before trying to hit it.
"The referee called for a bully at the center of the pitch after the accidental stoppage."
British Canned or pickled corned beef (usually used with 'beef').
"During the expedition, the explorers subsisted primarily on hard biscuits and tins of bully."
• verb
To seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable.
"Older students must never be allowed to bully younger classmates in the hallways."
• interjection
Used to express approval, admiration, or ironic congratulations (especially in the phrase 'bully for you').
"Bully for her if she managed to secure the fellowship on her very first attempt."
• adjective
North American First-rate, very good, or admirable (now chiefly dated or historical, except in 'bully pulpit').
"The presidency offered him a bully pulpit from which to advocate for national conservation."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'bully' is overwhelmingly negative in modern usage as a noun and verb, its dated adjectival and interjectional senses ('bully for you!', 'bully pulpit') retain an older, positive meaning of 'excellent' or 'first-rate'.
• Rhymes for bully
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from Middle Dutch 'boele' ('lover' or 'sweetheart'), the word originally served as an affectionate term for a darling or fine fellow before shifting semantically via 'blusterer' to mean a harasser of the weak.