Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a member of the white rural laboring class, especially in the southern United States.
- n. Offensive Slang A white person regarded as having a provincial, conservative, often bigoted attitude.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An uncouth countryman: as, the hill-billies come from the hills, and the rednecks from the swamps. The expression rednecked hill-billy also occurs.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a poor White person in the southern United States
Etymologies
- Compound of red + neck (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Anon just to clarify do you even know where the term redneck comes from?”
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“They're real-life descendants of the Dukes of Hazzard who wave around the rebel flag and embrace the term "redneck" as a badge of honor.”
“If the term redneck is offensive, forgive me, sir.”
“The term redneck was also used in The West Virginia Coal Miners March (1921) or the Battle of Blair Mountain when coal miners wore red bandannas around their necks to identify themselves as seeking the opportunity to unionize.”
“You should also know that as I have said elsewhere in these forums, where I come from the term redneck is a compliment.”
“The term redneck indicates a lifestyle and culture that can be found in every state in our union.”
“As to having our delicate beer-sodden feelings protected from the term redneck; well, I appreciate the effort, though I highly suspect that the best way to hide snobbishness is to pose as protector of any class of folks you cannot bear.”
“To us, the term redneck indicates a culture we were born in and enjoy.”
“It is sort of interesting that one of the possible sources for the term redneck comes from the fight between coal miners and mine owners.”
“Listen to The One, Congress: beating up on this redneck is a "distraction" from your usual lecturing us on medicine and the economy, things about which most of you have little knowledge.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘redneck’.
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Contemporary character classes?
as a youth I, and some others, made a pen-and-paper RPG, based in contemporary crime and suspense fiction + nonfiction, set in America's blighted urban centers, anonymous slurbs, and godforsaken hi...
acrobat, actor, anarchist, arsonist, artist, bagman, accountant, adrenaline junkie, airplane pilot, anti-racist skinhead, art student, assassin and 192 more...
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EN - xenophobic terms
Alle Menschen werden Brüder - sooner or later? Derogatory terms for anybody different.
abe, anchor baby, ann, ape, apple, asian nigger, aunt jemima , aunt jane, aunt mary, aunt sally, banana, beaner and 315 more...
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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red phrases /words
how red is used
bushy red mint, California red scale, dark red silver ore, down the red lane, Florida red scale, in red, in the red, in (the) red row, Knights of the Re..., light red silver ore, old red lammas, on red and 764 more...
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Gapeseeds and Muckworms - Compound De...
A list of compound derogatory names such as gapeseed, muckworm and lickspittle. Your one-word contributions to this list are welcome.
See sionnach's list derogatory terms I should use ...gapeseed, muckworm, lickspittle, makeweight, bootlicker, backscratcher, apple-polisher, backslapper, brownnoser, rakeshame, yesman, freeloader and 293 more...
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WF - nominal compounds (figurative)
An extensive list I have been working on for quite some time. Feel free to add more of the kind if you miss any.
brainstorming, upside, downside, goldplating, bikeshedding, mudslinging, downgrading, headhunter, streamlining, mainstreaming, gerrymandering, frontloading and 503 more...
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Political Pet Names
Ah, the language of endearment...
Feel free to add your favorite insult. Please include quotes or sources if you can. Thanks!
Please note: while this is a list about stuff...nutroots, rethuglican, wingnut, moonbat, libtard, obamabot, bushie, krudd, democrats, republicunts, repubs, leftist and 67 more...
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Enter the Rustics
A fanfare for the Common Man. Words for rustics, yokels, and woolhats of all sorts.
woolhat, yokel, rustic, hucklebuck, hick, redneck, bogan, goober, hayseed, bumpkin, countryman, peasant and 70 more...
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logos's list
A poor pathetic thing, but mine own.
invidious, lugubriousness, vilify, noisome, synastry, front and center, declension, conjugation, regnal, diphthong, circumlocution, bishopric and 141 more...
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Nullologue
nullologue, vaudeville, debauchery, debauched, libertine, nothing, dhadak, tz pf, nothingology, goodbyeology, sharmuta, manifesto and 874 more...
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chromatic phrases
blue movie, brown study, purple prose, rosy scenario, golden mean, eminence grise, white nights, bronze age, silver bullet, orange juice, black death, technicolor yawn and 188 more...
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americana
burger, baseball, fat, jesus, fast food, capitalism, hungry, domination, imperialism, empire, ghetto, redneck and 6 more...
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Reds
Inspired by hernesheir's Greens list.
blood red, red, red-backed, redbait, red-bellied, redbird, red-blooded, redbreast, red-breasted, redbrick, red-brown, redbud and 51 more...
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Name-Calling Humans
Terms of human exceptionalism, exclusivity, and 'types of'.
cablinasian, goyim, shiksa, gweilo, gaijin, banana, nigger, abc, fob, twinkie, oreo, ching chong and 48 more...
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Appalachian colloquial interpretations
words often used or misused by my hillbilly and redneck friends...
hosepipe, minner, minner-cheese, kindly, chimley, sammich, rat cheese, store cheese, mater, purdy, heifer, knowed and 30 more...
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Superheroes and villains whose names ...
The ones whose names have nothing to do with their powers, origins, costumes, or smell.
penance, phoenix, vision, mojo, genesis, zeitgeist, warbird, anarchist, sabra, redneck, crystal, warlock and 42 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for redneck.
oroboros You know you're a redneck if you've ever used a barstool as a walker. May 5, 2010
bilby Bit of a theme here. Love the pet carrier. Apr 4, 2009
super-logos The sun reddened the necks of Southerners who worked outdoors or in fields, and hence the name. These folks were not the professionals or the educated class or the plantation types. Being a redneck is really a state of mind. It refers to a person who does not speak proper English, whose world view is limited, and who may harbor a lot of prejudice against certain groups. Rednecks are, above all, ignorant. Today we still use the word in the South and it is still derogatory. What is interesting is that the term can be used for a white person who is a leader or head of something, and whose influence is among the lower middle classes. I think many state senators where I live are rednecks because of their political views. I could be mistaken. . .but I don't think so. Aug 14, 2008
uselessness Someone with a "glorious lack of sophistication," according to Jeff Foxworthy. Feb 7, 2007