Hag Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms hag 1 American [hag] / hæg /

noun

1. an ugly old woman, especially a vicious or malicious one.

   Synonyms: shrew, virago, harridan, harpy

2. a witch or sorceress.

3. a hagfish.

hag 2 American [hag, hahg] / hæg, hɑg /

noun

British Dialect.

1. bog; quagmire.

2. a firm spot or island of firm ground in a bog or marsh.

Hag. 3 American

abbreviation

Bible.

1. Haggai.

hag 1 British / hæɡ /

noun

1. an unpleasant or ugly old woman

2. a witch

3. short for hagfish

4. obsolete a female demon

"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 hag 2 British / hɑːɡ, hæɡ /

noun

1. a firm spot in a bog

2. a soft place in a moor

"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 Hag. 3 British

abbreviation

1. Haggai

"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

Usage

What does hag mean? Historically, a hag is an old, ugly woman with evil powers. Much like witches, crones, and banshees, hag has become a sexist insult degrading women.Content warning: this article contains references to sexist and homophobic language.

Other Word Forms

• haggish adjective
• haggishly adverb
• haggishness noun
• haglike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hag1

1175–1225; Middle English hagge, Old English *hægge, akin to hægtesse witch, hagorūn spell, German Hexe witch

Origin of hag2

1250–1300; Middle English: chasm < Old Norse hǫgg a cut, ravine

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.

When Ghostface dismisses Gale as “an old irrelevant hag,” there’s no way of telling if that Gen Z dis is a hint, a feint or a mistake.

From Los Angeles Times

But the admiring, even celebratory, tone of these paeans to hot actresses remaining hot well past Hollywood’s traditional expiration date masks the shadow side of this phenomenon: The wizened, terrifying hag.

From Salon

No matter how much the film insists she’s a hag, we know — and Moore knows we know — that she could do more squats than any of us in the audience.

From Los Angeles Times

Would ten hag benefit from a solid season not answering to critics every single game?

From BBC

Another reason why she refrains from taking off her makeup before bed is for her longtime husband Carl Dean: “I don't want to go to bed looking like a hag with Carl,” she said.

From Salon

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.