chav
5 synonyms for chav, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — (informal) A young working-class person seen as loud, badly behaved and dressed in a certain flashy style, used as an insult.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
The origin is uncertain, but it is probably Angloromani. Compare Romani chavi (“male child”) or ćhavo, shavo (“female child”), chal (“boy”), and chavvy (“mate, friend”); compare also Swedish tjej. It is possibly cognate with Portuguese chavalo, Spanish chaval, German Chabo, Russian чувак (čuvak), and Hungarian csávó. S...
Full origin of chav →