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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

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.