noun
mongrel
MUHNG-gruhl
noun
1
A dog (or other creature) of mixed or uncertain breed.
"The shelter was full of friendly mongrels looking for homes."
"She adopted a scruffy little mongrel from the rescue centre."
adj
1
Made up of a mixture of breeds, types, or origins.
"The garden was a mongrel mix of styles, part cottage, part modern."
How to Use Mongrel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething (usually a dog) that’s a mix of different breeds or types rather than one pure kind.
When to use it
Neutral for dogs, but can be an insult if used to describe a person’s ancestry — avoid that usage.
Common pairings
a mongrel dog
a mongrel breed
Word Forms
mongrels plural
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The shelter was full of friendly _____ looking for homes.
Etymology
From Middle English mongrel, built from "mong" (a mixture, related to "among") plus a diminutive ending that originally carried a negative tone.