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pissant

American  
[pis-ant] / ˈpɪsˌænt /
Or piss-ant

noun

  1. Slang: Vulgar. a person or thing of no value or consequence; a despicable person or thing.

  2. Obsolete. an ant.

adjective

  1. Slang: Vulgar. insignificant or worthless.

pissant British  
/ ˈpɪsænt /

noun

  1. an insignificant or contemptible person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. insignificant or contemptible

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pissant

1655–65, in sense “ant”; piss + ant, probably originally on the model of pismire

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He wants to be a music journalist, but in the pilot he works as a pissant at a casting agency under what the press materials refer to as a “no-nonsense boss.”

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2012

They got a sayin' out there in Hollywood: Big stars mean a big movie With Burt and Dolly in it, this lil ole bitty pissant country show growed bigger than Bob Lilly.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.