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redneck

American  
[red-nek] / ˈrɛdˌnɛk /
Or red-neck

noun

  1. an uneducated white farm laborer, especially from the South.

  2. a bigot or reactionary, especially from the rural working class.

adjective

  1. Also red-necked narrow, prejudiced, or reactionary.

    a redneck attitude.
    Synonyms:
    intolerant, narrow-minded, biased
    Antonyms:
    impartial, unbiased, tolerant, broad-minded, open-minded, fair-minded
redneck British  
/ ˈrɛdˌnɛk /

noun

  1. (in the southwestern US) a poor uneducated White farm worker

  2. a person or institution that is extremely reactionary

"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. reactionary and bigoted

    redneck laws
"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
redneck Cultural  

  1. A slang term, usually for a rural white southerner who is politically conservative, racist, and a religious fundamentalist (see fundamentalism). This term is generally considered offensive. It originated in reference to agricultural workers, alluding to how the back of a person's neck will be burned by the sun if he works long hours in the fields.

Sensitive Note

All the senses of this term are used with disparaging intent, implying negative stereotypical traits such as ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

Etymology

Origin of redneck

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30; red 1 + neck

Compare meaning

How does redneck compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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.

Kreider’s husband, Jim, chimed in: “A redneck, gun-toting environmentalist.”

From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025

You can be a redneck and not be racist.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2024

A Tampa Ron De Santis, 54 - his family spells his name with a space between “De” and “Santis” - calls himself an Italian redneck from Winter Haven.

From Washington Times • Dec. 24, 2022

A Tampa Ron De Santis, 54 — his family spells his name with a space between “De” and “Santis” — calls himself an Italian redneck from Winter Haven.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2022

He was a huge guy with stark white hair, a straw cowboy hat, and a braided white beard—kind of like Father Time, if Father Time went redneck and got totally jacked.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

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.