Irish Insults And Curse Words

The Irish swear to it: They curse and swear a bloody lot, with the older generations much more so.

If you find this disconcerting, you are free to skip this. For those who’d like to learn a Gaelic swear word  or two (or 25), keep scrolling. Who knows, perhaps in the end you’ll have learned how to cuss like a leprechaun!

All kidding aside, all these Irish curses and profanities aren’t necessarily intended to mean harm. It’s just an Irish thing in Ireland, they say.

To be fair, the Irish curses and swear words are not as intense as in the other nations. If you happen to hear these Irish curse words when you visit Ireland, know that for most Irish people, it’s just an expression in a most genuine form that only they understand.

Irish Insults And Curse Words

Here’s a list of 20 most common Irish insults and curse words in alphabetical order.

Arse

Arse is that part of your body where you sit on, aka anus. In the latter phrase of the given example, “arse” refers to a stupid person.

It is used when such a person annoys you. “Arse” is pretty tame by Irish standards, so you may want to use something more intense than the synonym of “butt.”

Example Sentence: “Get your sorry arse off my face, you arse.”

Bellend

Just like “arse,” “bellend” is an anatomical curse, referring to the penis. “Bellend” sounds much tamer than, say, “penis head.” 

Example Sentence: “The bellend just won’t stop cursing.”

Bint

The term “bint” is used in a derogatory manner towards girls. It’s offensive but not quite as harsh as “cow” or “bitch.” 

Example Sentence: “That bint! I will never like her for my brother.” 

Bloody

“Bloody” here doesn’t refer to gore, but more like an embellishment to add a little pizzazz to a rather plain word. It’s pretty tame and not used for insult purposes.

Example Sentence: “They serve some bloody fine cocktails at the local.”

Bollocks

Also spelled “bollix,” it is used to express contempt, annoyance, or defiance. It’s another Irish curse involving the anatomy as it refers to the testicles.

Example Sentence: “The crazy chap has a habit of inventing complete bollocks.”

Clunge

This particular curse word is a slang term for the female genitalia. This is used as a vulgar word for women in general. Calling someone a “vagina” is a big no in a polite (or even impolite!) conversation.

Example Sentence: “Call her a clunge and you’re good as dead.” 

Dope

Example Sentence: “Ya dope! Askin’ trouble wearing orange on St. Paddy’s!” 

Dope is what you call a halfwit. Pronounce it “dawwwwp” for the authentic Irish feels.

Eejit

Another swear word for a stupid person – an idiot, spelled as you would hear it.

Example Sentence: “That Walsh bloke, he’s a proper eejit, bawling over that cow. He should be taught how to act like a real man.”

Fecker

An obnoxious or contemptible person. It’s an Irish slang for “fucker.” 

Example Sentence: “The fecker deserves hanging.” 

Gash

This is a vulgar slang term for the vagina, which is utterly offensive and disparaging. “Gash” is used to refer to a woman one considers as a sex object.

Example Sentence: “That gash you picked up last night? She wasn’t very pleasing to the eye, was she?”

Gobdaw

Used to call someone who’s a bit on the silly side; a pretentious twit. “Gobdaw” is said to derive from the Irish gabhdán which translates to “gullible person.”

Example Sentence: “I don’t waste my time listening to gobdaws who think they know what they’re talking about.” 

Gobshite

It’s a vulgar term to call as stupid and incompetent person. Gobshite is someone who’s full of bollocks.

Example Sentence: “The gobshite hasn’t got anything meaningful to say.”

Gombeen

Irish slang for “crook.” From the Irish word gaimbín, meaning “monetary interest.” Historically, a gombeen was a moneylender during the Great Famine.

If you call someone “gombeen,” you mean they are corrupt.

Example Sentence: “I’m tired of all these gombeen politicians.”

Gowl

Another of those Irish bad words for the female sex organ, used to refer to an annoying or dishonest or stupid – or all of the above.

Example Sentence:  “Quit bein’ a gowl and gimme back my yokes.” 

Hoor

Informal Irish for a prostitute; a whore. It’s used for both male and female whose behavior is appalling or sometimes even illegal.

Example Sentence: “The crafty hoor! He gets away with stealing all the time.” 

Hussy

From “hustler,” the term refers to a girl or a woman who behaves disrespectfully or inappropriately, and/or engages in many casual sexual relationships. In short, a harlot.

Example Sentence: “That brazen hussy! One day she’ll get what she deserves.” 

Minger

The word “minger” originated from the Scottish word “ming,”  which means excrement. It is used derogatorily to refer to someone or something that’s considered ugly and/or smelly — or disgusting, in general.

Example Sentence: “He’s such a minger! No wonder he’s forever single.” 

Munter

Munter is a word used to insult a person – a woman, more commonly — who is deemed truly hideous.

Example Sentence: “That Sarah girl is surely the biggest munter I have ever met!” 

Pup

“Pup” is a term used in derision, often by old people to describe cheeky, over-confident young people who think they know it all. A pup is a smart aleck and a brat who’s not quite a dickhead (yet).

Example Sentence: “That pup! His mother’s probably a dog!”

Scut

Irish slang for someone deemed foolish, contemptible, or objectionable – or a good-for-nothing sod. If someone is talking shite, they could be described as “talking pure scutter.” 

Example Sentence: “A scut like him doesn’t deserve a woman like you.” 

Shite

This is the Irish swear word for “shit,” it commonly means nonsense, trash (rubbish), or just plain old excrement. One may be “full of shite,” “talk shite,” “not give a shite,” et cetera. 

Example Sentence: “You look like shite today.” 

Sod

Short for the formerly considered vulgar word, Sodomite. “Sod” is often referred to someone, usually a male, which could mean a lot of things but none of them nice. If you call someone a sod, you mean they’re annoying and/or unpleasant.

Example Sentence: “Pick someone your own size, you worthless sod!” 

Twat

Here’s another anatomical swear word. “Twat” is vulgar but not obscene. It literally means the vulva or vagina. To call someone twat means they are useless, stupid, or contemptible — or all mentioned.

Example Sentence: “You’re such a twat. You should be ashamed of yourself.” 

Wagon

To call someone a wagon means they are far from being a nice person in whatever way. This is generally used for women who are foul and evil. “Wagon” may be synonymous with “hag.”

Example Sentence: “Miss Minchin is a wagon who inflicts unjust punishment on her students.”

Wanker

This is a term used for someone who masturbates, usually a man. “Wanker” as an insult is used for someone who’s annoyingly pretentious, useless, inefficient, or time-wasting, especially at work.

Example Sentence: “He spent a good forty minutes trying to impress the bosses with the outdated concept he’s proposing. What a wanker.”