bastard and motherfucker share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. bastard means “insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous”. motherfucker means “insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous”. bastard is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbæstɚd/
1.n.insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous
2.n.the illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents
3.n.derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin
“the architecture was a kind of bastard suggesting Gothic but not true Gothic”
| bastard | motherfucker | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbæstɚd/ | /ˈmʌðɚˌfʌkɚ/ |
| Said | BA-sturd | MUHTH-ur-fuhk-ur |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Letters | 7 | 12 |
| Parts of speech | noun, adjective | noun |
| Senses | 4 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | asshole, cocksucker, dickhead | asshole, bastard, cocksucker |
Full entry for bastard · Full entry for motherfucker · More comparisons
/ˈmʌðɚˌfʌkɚ/
1.n.insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous