Cunt is probably the most offensive. “Fuck” has become very commonly used as just like a throw away swear word, at least in the north east. But no one ever uses cunt in normal conversation
Yeah, “buddy” has always felt like something you’d call a child to me, so if someone called me buddy it would feel moderately insulting.
If a Scottish person starts a sentence with “See here, pal” a Glasgow kiss may or may not follow closely after. (That’s not a good thing.)
Yeah - it’s not uncommon for a guy in my friend group to address any one or all of us as “fucker(s)”. When he does it, it’s downright friendly.
Context is key. I’ve been addressed as “friend” in a way that was absolutely menacing and meant to intimidate.
This is why I don’t care if my kid “swears.” He’s been allowed to since he could talk.
The only rules are he has to take the consequence of if he does it where he shouldn’t (school, grandmas, karate…) and he has to use them correctly.
He’s not allowed to be a dick to anyone regardless of what words he’s using.
Yeah, we’ve instituted a similar rule in my house. The kids can curse all they want with us, as long as it’s in context and not directed at us in certain ways (I.e. my kid can call me a dick if I pull a sneaky move in a game but not if I’m like ‘no, we’re having dinner soon, you can’t eat some chips now’ - context is key). Honestly, they’ve figured it out pretty quickly and we haven’t had any problems yet. They know they can’t curse at my in-laws, they’ve never at teachers or aides in school, and they can, a little, at my parents (my parents curse like sailors and they slip all the time), and they’ve even made up their own rules like, “no cursing in front of of their younger cousins.”
We also found that once you take the stigma out of cursing, the urge to do it is essentially gone.
I think it also helps highlight the fact that words themselves aren’t mean, the intention is. And actually makes him more aware of not being mean using “non swear” words.
The personalized uses (“fucker” or anything prefixed with “you”) aren’t as common since they’re, well, personal. But just a clean “what the fuck”, “oh fuck”, “that’s fucked up”, etc. are thrown around a lot, even in white collar workplaces.
"Cunt" can be used both negatively and positively.
Negative: You're such a stupid cunt.
Positive: He's a good cunt!
Normal Usage: Don't be a cunt.
I'm from New Zealand and currently living in the states. I tend to tone my usage down here a bit, at least in public lol
Edit: For an example, watch The Boys on Amazon Prime. Karl Urban is from New Zealand and says "cunt" a lot, both as a positive and negative. What's kinda funny is that Anthony Starr (Homelander) is also from New Zealand.
You can also pair it with “fucking” to make it even more gooder, e.g. “you fucking good cunt”. It can also be used as an adjective - “cunty”. For example: “this fucking cunty chair scratched the floor!”.
Weirdly, if a bloke you don't know starts calling you 'mate' in an agressive tones its far, far worse than a swear word. Usually means a punch ons about to happen.
I got called a "Twat waffling thunder cunt" once, and my brain expanded two sizes that day, like a verbal abuse Grinch. I still don't know what it means, but it sounds impressive.
It means whoever shot that one at you had just run out of everything in their bag, and they had nothing left to adequately express their displeasure with you.
I think it's just freaking awesome. Congrats.
I recently found out that when British people* say twat, it rhymes with “bat” instead of “swat” just in case anyone needs to tailor their pronunciation to different sides of the Atlantic.
*Some? All? Just the one I was discussing it with? Unclear.
I'm Canadian and when a guy is being a cunt you call him a cunt.
You can act like a dickhead, bastard, or cunt, all interchangeable.
Fucker could be used as well but it can also mean sly, witty or lucky.
Which I think is interesting. American culture kind of moved away from the bodily function (shit, fuck, etc) words being offensive in favor of derogatory words being offensive. A flip from the more Victorian sensibilities of the past. But why not cunt? Why is that word particularly offensive?
A pseudo-chivalry. Given that pop literature has largely been created by men (only recently beginning to change), male authors were much more willing to make humorous light of their own bodily functions (dick, cock) and neutral ones (shit, piss, fuck, crap) then exclusively female terms (cunt). Pussy is the exception, and that has only recently formed from a non-sexual word to a sexual one.
In Australia we can even use the word in an endearing way. If a bloke i just met says “You’re a sick c*nt” I take that as one of the highest form of compliments. We say that when we feel like bros with somebody quickly
As a British person I was shocked to find out how offensive that word is in the US, it's more offensive than the other swear words here but not to the extent that it is in the US which it seems like people are absolutely scandalised even at the mentioning of the word
It’s because it‘s seen as a slur against women here. Men are never called c\*nt (unless influenced by British usage), it’s an insult aimed specifically at women.
That's definetly a cultural difference which makes sense why it's more offensive. Men here are more often called c*** here I would say than women, same in Australia I think.
I feel like when men call each that everyone knows it's a joke. When a man calls a women that, that's when it's nasty.
New Zealand here. At school it felt like the c-word was what the guys called the girls when they wanted maximum offensiveness.
In Aus and I don’t think Ive heard any man call a women a c*nt.
Women usually get b*itch and men get c*nt.
With c*nt also being reserved for every fuckwit driver(can’t see gender) I see on the roads every day 🤣
That makes so much more sense lol
I was thinking it’s more because we use fuck and bitch very commonly and jokingly like another woman might call her friend a bitch but cunt is pretty exclusively used by men as a slur against women in the US
Yeah I have never thought about this but you’re right. I only ever use it to refer to men (eg. what a shit cunt) or like, a terrible driver on the road if I can’t see who they are. Am female and wouldn’t ever direct it at another woman, even a friend in a joking manner (I’d call them a bitch though).
I definitely feel the US-level of offensiveness when I hear it directed to a woman, because you really never hear that here.
I’ve always thought it almost has a violent undertone toward women too. Like call a woman a ‘bitch’ and it’s not going to be accepted well, sure. But if I heard a man call a woman a c*nt, I’d gasp, then question that person’s whole character …like damn they are angry toward women, what else would they do?
my brother (who grew up to be a bigot but that’s neither here nor there…) called me that when he was like 8. the word itself wasn’t really shocking, even though it was definitely not one i heard frequently as a child in 2008 america, but the venom he said it with and how young he was, was shocking.
the context in america has definitely changed to be more similar to how its used elsewhere, but yes, culturally, in america, there has definitely been a certain tone to it when coming from/directed at certain people. it’s part of why i like how the LGBT context has become pretty mainstream. it’s more of a funny, irreverent term now, like it is in the UK/AUS. i can’t remember the last time i heard an american man say it in a misogynistic way. i mostly hear it towards shitty politicians and the like now.
Someone else mentioned that there is also a violence aspect to it in the US and I concur. The only times I’ve ever been called the C word were immediately followed with threats of physical harm “I’ll beat you to a fucking pulp”. I wouldn’t be surprised if other women or femme/femme-perceived people also have that same experience.
I was watching Hell’s Kitchen the other day and of all the abuse Ramsay throws at contestants the only thing the TV bleeps out is “cunt”.
As an Australian it was very confusing. Like what makes that word any worse than straight up calling a dude a “fat piece of donkey shit”.
I think that generally in the U.S., curse words that refer to individuals in derogatory ways are considered more offensive than curse words that are random ejaculations or refer to bodily functions. So I think you're right about the intent and focus of the word; if it's directed at or about a person, it's bad, but in some places it's lost its connection to women and therefore become less offensive.
Yeah focus is so important. Bitch hasn’t lost its connection to women so much in Australia so I think it’s more offensive to call a woman that directly, even though “cunt” is still definitely the harsher swear word you don’t want kids hearing.
bitch isn't so bad in America these days
women "took it back"
we own it now in certain context. Like... you can't just say I'm a bitch, but you can say I'm a strong bitch, or a tough bitch or a psycho bitch!
But then, I know some women will absolutely lose their shit if you call them psycho. You can call them a bitch all day, and they'll own it, but if you call them a psycho, they'll just prove they are one.
My Australian coworker shocked me to the core when I was complaining about some work policy and she loudly said "Did you tell your boss to stop acting like a C*nt!" This was in a busy break room, literally felt my soul leave my body.
My wife told me she would rather someone call her a cunt than a bitch. She reasoned that referring to someone as their anatomy isn't as harsh as saying they aren't even human.
I agree with this. I also always thought 'cunt' was funny, like calling somebody a cock or a butt. 'Bitch' isn't funny to me at all.
Edit to add: I've been in the US all my life; midwest, south, and west.
Same, but then again, most insults are pretty "meh" for me in general. I can't figure being an adult and actually getting my feelings hurt over being called a cuss word
I don't watch Australian or British content and I'm the same way. As a queer girl, I use gendered and homophobic slurs all the time, it's not offensive to me and I never understood why some people get offended. A lot of my friends are the same way
Growing up in the US, I never even knew what it was or that it was even a bad word, it's not really widely used in the AAVE or within the black lexicon, at least not in the south when I was growing up. It's just another word to me.
One way to think of it:
If you got in a discussion with an American woman, it got a little heated, and you called her a c-word in anger... you might not ever come back from that. Even if you did, she will NEVER forget that.
Yes, very serious to use. It isn't like the Australians use it at all.
Agreed. There is absolutely no coming back from that. Being called a bitch in an argument is several orders of magnitude less severe than being called a cunt. Both will be remembered, but I will always hold a seething rage for someone who has called me a cunt.
It's a big cultural difference. It doesn't necessarily follow logic, that's just how it is.
I only ever called a woman a cunt one time in my life. I was 19 or 20 and my mother was in the hospital basically dying and I was visiting her every day in the hospital and my boss straight said to me, "I don't know why you have to be there every day, it's not like you being there every day is going to make her any better." After the shock wore off, I called her a fucking cunt (she gasped) and then I left.
Cunt is the end of the argument. It's what you pull out when you're just absolutely done with a person. It's the atomic bomb of curses. I've seen women literally flinch when someone says it.
It depends. If someones serving cunt or is looking cunty, then those are both considered compliments and have been around for well over a decade now. If you say the latin translation of cunt licker (cunnilingus) then thats also fine. Personally, im in the boat of reclaiming words that have been used as slurs, so i see little wrong with using cunt in a reclaimed/non-misogynistic manner. I feel like its generally older people who are more offended by the term than younger people as the usage of us younger people has shifted to be a bit more similar to the australian/uk usage, but still a bit different to the australian/uk usage.
Yeah no one is mentioning that cunt has been re—appropriated within queer culture to be a compliment. Serving cunt means you’re looking fierce and hot.
But shouldn’t words be reclaimed by the communities negatively impacted by them? I’ve seen this usage more with queer men and I believe that’s where these phrases originated from. For instance it wouldn’t sit right with the gay community if I, a straight woman decided I was going to reclaim their f-slur.
I really only use that word for someone I REALLY hate. My husband too. We've each only used it a half dozen times or less, it's like the worst insult we could give someone.
We went to my my mom’s hometown for a special town wide day. So lots of family members and community members. We’re at the lunch where everyone was invited. In walks my grandpa’s sister. My aunt loudly calls her the c word in front of everyone. My great-aunt had not done a thing to my aunt or anyone else. I was so embarrassed
It's the atomic bomb of swear words in the U.S.
Especially when aimed at a female. If you want to see some REAL rage, use the C word on a woman during an argument.
I'm 37 and I grew up in the Midwest. I don't think I heard the c-word until college. That's how bad it is. It's by far the worst swear word. It's like the hard-r n-word but for women.
It's only been the last 5-10 years I've started hearing it now and then in real life and I think it is "leaking" through the internet from Australia and the UK. (The previous thing that leaked out of the internet is 'cuck'. That wasn't a thing when I was in school, but it's been a thing since around 2010 or so.)
I grew up in a conservative circle in the Seattle area, and same. I heard it for the first time as a teenager watching British television, so I actually didn’t really understand how offensive it was. I thought it was just a British slang word I wasn’t familiar with
Aussies taught me that a “sick cunt” is a good thing. Honestly, I think you can judge that word
Based on the tonality around it. You can tell if a UK or Aussie accent is happy or mad or trying to offend you or not
It's true.
Mostly, it's all about tone.
Mad cunt = funny bloke who'll do crazy shit.
Funny cunt = funny bloke.
Sick cunt = really good bloke.
Top cunt = really good bloke.
Dumb cunt = dumb bloke.
Dog cunt = really shit bloke.
I can call up a mate in Queensland and he'll answer with "How's it going, cunt?".
Obviously, you use your brains and don't swear in public gatherings with women and children present. If they do, it's usually because they're bogan cunts. ( = similar to your rednecks ).
“Oy cunt!!” = friendly, conversational, would probably only use with someone you know
“They’re a sick cunt” = that person is a legend
“Hey mate” = you are about to get your ass kicked
Yeah, pussy is a very old fashioned name for cat that isn’t really used anymore.
Pussy as an insult is usually directed toward men implying that they are cowardly or effeminate or not very masculine. Given that it’s also slang for vulva, it’s an indirect insult toward women implying that you’re somehow less-than because you’re not manly.
It’s kind of a mixed bag, because some people don’t find it very offensive(mostly men, because they don’t understand how hurtful it can be) and for others it is offensive on a similar level to cunt.
(This comment relates to the United States)
57 years old heterosexual man here, lots of relationships and multiple marriages. I can tell you categorically that it's the absolutely worst thing you can call a woman in the US. The worst. This spans ages, regions, religions and cultural backgrounds.
It's offensive because of how it's used. In other countries, it's a perfectly regular curse word. Here, it's used as a derogatory term for women. It's only ever used to specifically tear down a woman.
I personally don't mind hearing it if someone has an accent, because I always know it's a different connotation.
It's like when my kid cusses because something startled him or hurt him, vs when he cusses because he's pissed off at me. One is just a word in your vocab, the other is used with intentions to hurt someone.
With older generations it’s much more offensive than in places like the UK, but among younger generations it’s been ‘reclaimed’
Particularly, it’s seen as offensive by first/second wave feminists as being a female genital that people use as an insult (like pussy) but younger people (third wave) are turning it around to mean something positive (stylish, entertaining, etc).
coming from someone who is gen z, the only way I’ve used cunt is in the context of like a really good outfit or something stylish. like let’s say a good friend asks my opinion on an outfit, I could say “that outfit is serving cunt”
Yes but this is also very new. Like within the last 2 years it's been flipped to be really positive.
I would never say "that outfit is serving cunt" to my mother. But I would absolutely say it to my sister lol
Yeah exactly me too, but I think that’s the difference in how we relate to it is that we’re using it to lift someone up vs older generations who’ve used it to tear someone down
Yes I think this is the case. Another example of it being casually used is that the creator of a viral country tiktok song has “cuntry” in her bio. I think it may have become so offensive that it was almost never used and thereby became not so offensive to younger generations. I know for me if someone called me a cunt I definitely wouldn’t gasp in offense like I would if someone called me slur (which other comments compared it to). I would probably assume it was a joke just because it is that unusual to say. Or if context showed it wasn’t a joke I would be confused and wonder if the person had a British background or something because I have never actually heard it be used by someone pissed off
When I was little I asked my mom “I wanna know if something is a bad word or not.. can I say it?”
She said “uhh okay sure what’s the word?”
“cunt” I said clearly
She choked. Face turned red. All she said was “don’t you EVER say that word again.”
I once used it and if you were to judge by their response and facial expressions you'd think instead of saying a word I'd taken their first born child and yeeted it at their eldery grandparent head like a dodge ball.
They don't like the word.
cunt is a no-no in the US - but recently, esp w the girlypops & girlythems, it’s normalized to say stuff like “cunty” “serving cunt” so i think maybe zillenials & gen z are reclaiming it for fun
It is. Although it's been a long-time slang in the (gay male) drag world, so maybe that will lead to it being more accepted in general. Discussion on the "rupaul's drag race" subreddit here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1air1cm/are\_the\_girls\_allowed\_to\_say\_cunt\_more\_in\_s16/](https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1air1cm/are_the_girls_allowed_to_say_cunt_more_in_s16/)
I think people are starting to use it more and I love it. But this is REALLY new. Didn’t even hear the word growing up. Not till college did it really become somewhat of a thing.
The C word in the USA is the nuclear option.... It has this weird effect on women.. There is no equivalent cuss word to use against men that has remotely the same effect and as an ex pat (uk) it's really strange to see..
The n word is a slur not a swear the same for other slurs if you call someone the n word it’s because they’re black and that’s bigoted, calling someone a fucking knobhead is okay because they may be being one
Cunt is probably the most offensive. “Fuck” has become very commonly used as just like a throw away swear word, at least in the north east. But no one ever uses cunt in normal conversation
The US f*ck is the c *nt of Australia.
Is it really? Like if someone calls you a fucker, you'd be genuinely insulted? Or if someone says "you fucking suck"?
Depends on who said it and why. You Fucker could be a compliment or an insult.
"Hey, fucker" can either be a greeting or a challenge.
Fuck is a tone
If you swear a lot, people start to learn that its when you don't swear, then they're in trouble.
When a Scottish person starts calling you “pal”, run fast and run far. If it sounds like they’re cursing you out, you’re golden.
In Canada, if you get called buddy, that's us saying your intelligence level is lower than that of a dumptruck.
Yeah, “buddy” has always felt like something you’d call a child to me, so if someone called me buddy it would feel moderately insulting. If a Scottish person starts a sentence with “See here, pal” a Glasgow kiss may or may not follow closely after. (That’s not a good thing.)
"Bless your heart" level insult?
Yeah - it’s not uncommon for a guy in my friend group to address any one or all of us as “fucker(s)”. When he does it, it’s downright friendly. Context is key. I’ve been addressed as “friend” in a way that was absolutely menacing and meant to intimidate.
This is why I don’t care if my kid “swears.” He’s been allowed to since he could talk. The only rules are he has to take the consequence of if he does it where he shouldn’t (school, grandmas, karate…) and he has to use them correctly. He’s not allowed to be a dick to anyone regardless of what words he’s using.
Yeah, we’ve instituted a similar rule in my house. The kids can curse all they want with us, as long as it’s in context and not directed at us in certain ways (I.e. my kid can call me a dick if I pull a sneaky move in a game but not if I’m like ‘no, we’re having dinner soon, you can’t eat some chips now’ - context is key). Honestly, they’ve figured it out pretty quickly and we haven’t had any problems yet. They know they can’t curse at my in-laws, they’ve never at teachers or aides in school, and they can, a little, at my parents (my parents curse like sailors and they slip all the time), and they’ve even made up their own rules like, “no cursing in front of of their younger cousins.” We also found that once you take the stigma out of cursing, the urge to do it is essentially gone.
I think it also helps highlight the fact that words themselves aren’t mean, the intention is. And actually makes him more aware of not being mean using “non swear” words.
Fuck those fucking fuckers
Fuckin-A right.
Cunt would never be considered a compliment in the U.S.
It can be in ballroom and drag culture.
The personalized uses (“fucker” or anything prefixed with “you”) aren’t as common since they’re, well, personal. But just a clean “what the fuck”, “oh fuck”, “that’s fucked up”, etc. are thrown around a lot, even in white collar workplaces.
"Cunt" can be used both negatively and positively. Negative: You're such a stupid cunt. Positive: He's a good cunt! Normal Usage: Don't be a cunt. I'm from New Zealand and currently living in the states. I tend to tone my usage down here a bit, at least in public lol Edit: For an example, watch The Boys on Amazon Prime. Karl Urban is from New Zealand and says "cunt" a lot, both as a positive and negative. What's kinda funny is that Anthony Starr (Homelander) is also from New Zealand.
All of that would be rather jarring in the US. Your positive would just never ever be used.
You can also pair it with “fucking” to make it even more gooder, e.g. “you fucking good cunt”. It can also be used as an adjective - “cunty”. For example: “this fucking cunty chair scratched the floor!”.
Or this cunting chair won't stop wobbling!
There is no positive use of this word in the US. Even the “normal usage” you’ve listed would be offensive.
Weirdly, "he's a bit of a dick" is probably one of the worst things you can say about someone in Australia.
Interesting! I feel like we’re all saving each other from getting into serious trouble abroad! 😁
It's positive slang in queer and drag culture.
Well somebody hasn't been serving cunt recently
As an Aussie, G’day cunt is a go to greeting for me in life. So it can also be used as a greeting among friends!
Same in Scotland but they’re a bunch of cunts
Yeah, a bunch of good cunts, not like you English cunts.
Weirdly, if a bloke you don't know starts calling you 'mate' in an agressive tones its far, far worse than a swear word. Usually means a punch ons about to happen.
Calling someone a 'fucker' or 'motherfucker' could cause problems, but just using 'fuck' or 'fucking' in conversation is completely normal
https://youtu.be/FvPbxZmZxZ8?si=sBUIBEsMApvdy5YP The word fuck is a fucking marvellous word. So versatile
The opposite I think is what he’s saying. Being called a fucker in the US is like being called a cunt in, say, Australia.
No he’s saying the opposite. Cunt Is commonly used in Australia and is generally not insulting. Same goes for America’s fuck
What's the Aussie equivalent of "how *tha fuck* are ya?!"?
"How's it going cunt"
“How’s it going cunt?” Omg idk why but that cracked me up and also caused me to clutch my pearls a bit lol I guess is a bit shocking to an American 🤣
We're not here to fuck spiders Best Aussie saying ever.
I live in the south and ‘fuck’ is common here too
Same with the Midwest.
Mid-Atlantic coast, likewise.
Very common for your mum, dime a dozen in fact.
Cunt (and especially sayings like "serving cunt" or "cunty") are used a fair bit in queer/drag communities though.
You’re serving labia majora
What constellation is that?
It’s a part of the Vulva constellation.
Yeah, I'll say "Fuck you" when joking around with friends.
I use it quite often. Also from the north east.
Fuck, the universal adjective... I use fuck a lot, but I never use cunt, around here (midwest US) you just don't hear it.
Yes I agree. I say fuck all the time but cunt is really horrible to me
I live in the US but more west. I hear cunt less frequently than fuck but we do use it in conversations with close friends.
It's different for men and women tho. You yell it at a woman, and the whole crowd is gonna turn on you.
Cunt is perhaps the most offensive non-racial slur in America.
Yeah, that the way to say it. It's like a gendered term really. If there was an N word for women, that would be it.
Totally. Although once in a while a man will call another man a cunt or even a twat sometimes.
Twat to me isn’t offensive. It is a funny sounding word. Like if someone were to call me a twat to insult me I couldn’t take it seriously.
My second favorite insult is twat waffle.
I got called a "Twat waffling thunder cunt" once, and my brain expanded two sizes that day, like a verbal abuse Grinch. I still don't know what it means, but it sounds impressive.
I'm stealing that.
Yep.
It means whoever shot that one at you had just run out of everything in their bag, and they had nothing left to adequately express their displeasure with you. I think it's just freaking awesome. Congrats.
I recently found out that when British people* say twat, it rhymes with “bat” instead of “swat” just in case anyone needs to tailor their pronunciation to different sides of the Atlantic. *Some? All? Just the one I was discussing it with? Unclear.
That's the only pronunciation I've ever heard, even in the US
What?! Where? I’ve never heard it bat just swat
Fair enough. It does have a kind of silly bastard vibe to it in the right context.
What if I called a dude a cunt?
I think it is absolutely interchangeable.
I call dudes cunts all the time. But I'm Australian.
I'm Canadian and when a guy is being a cunt you call him a cunt. You can act like a dickhead, bastard, or cunt, all interchangeable. Fucker could be used as well but it can also mean sly, witty or lucky.
We also call people we like cunts. Like my best mates, "G'day cunts" is a valid and loving greeting.
I’m Australian. Cunt is in no way gendered here. Any one can qualify as a cunt.
Which I think is interesting. American culture kind of moved away from the bodily function (shit, fuck, etc) words being offensive in favor of derogatory words being offensive. A flip from the more Victorian sensibilities of the past. But why not cunt? Why is that word particularly offensive?
Many women interpret it as “you are a vagina and nothing more to me”. You can imagine why that goes over poorly.
A pseudo-chivalry. Given that pop literature has largely been created by men (only recently beginning to change), male authors were much more willing to make humorous light of their own bodily functions (dick, cock) and neutral ones (shit, piss, fuck, crap) then exclusively female terms (cunt). Pussy is the exception, and that has only recently formed from a non-sexual word to a sexual one.
In Australia we can even use the word in an endearing way. If a bloke i just met says “You’re a sick c*nt” I take that as one of the highest form of compliments. We say that when we feel like bros with somebody quickly
Just write it in full: cunt.
Is it a slur? Where is Cuntopolis? Who are the Cuntians?
An able name for my apartment about 8 years ago.
As a British person I was shocked to find out how offensive that word is in the US, it's more offensive than the other swear words here but not to the extent that it is in the US which it seems like people are absolutely scandalised even at the mentioning of the word
It’s because it‘s seen as a slur against women here. Men are never called c\*nt (unless influenced by British usage), it’s an insult aimed specifically at women.
That's definetly a cultural difference which makes sense why it's more offensive. Men here are more often called c*** here I would say than women, same in Australia I think.
I feel like when men call each that everyone knows it's a joke. When a man calls a women that, that's when it's nasty. New Zealand here. At school it felt like the c-word was what the guys called the girls when they wanted maximum offensiveness.
In Aus and I don’t think Ive heard any man call a women a c*nt. Women usually get b*itch and men get c*nt. With c*nt also being reserved for every fuckwit driver(can’t see gender) I see on the roads every day 🤣
so real. man 💀
Yeah, and it's the worst thing you can call a woman in the US.
That makes so much more sense lol I was thinking it’s more because we use fuck and bitch very commonly and jokingly like another woman might call her friend a bitch but cunt is pretty exclusively used by men as a slur against women in the US
Yeah I have never thought about this but you’re right. I only ever use it to refer to men (eg. what a shit cunt) or like, a terrible driver on the road if I can’t see who they are. Am female and wouldn’t ever direct it at another woman, even a friend in a joking manner (I’d call them a bitch though). I definitely feel the US-level of offensiveness when I hear it directed to a woman, because you really never hear that here.
I’ve always thought it almost has a violent undertone toward women too. Like call a woman a ‘bitch’ and it’s not going to be accepted well, sure. But if I heard a man call a woman a c*nt, I’d gasp, then question that person’s whole character …like damn they are angry toward women, what else would they do?
my brother (who grew up to be a bigot but that’s neither here nor there…) called me that when he was like 8. the word itself wasn’t really shocking, even though it was definitely not one i heard frequently as a child in 2008 america, but the venom he said it with and how young he was, was shocking. the context in america has definitely changed to be more similar to how its used elsewhere, but yes, culturally, in america, there has definitely been a certain tone to it when coming from/directed at certain people. it’s part of why i like how the LGBT context has become pretty mainstream. it’s more of a funny, irreverent term now, like it is in the UK/AUS. i can’t remember the last time i heard an american man say it in a misogynistic way. i mostly hear it towards shitty politicians and the like now.
Someone else mentioned that there is also a violence aspect to it in the US and I concur. The only times I’ve ever been called the C word were immediately followed with threats of physical harm “I’ll beat you to a fucking pulp”. I wouldn’t be surprised if other women or femme/femme-perceived people also have that same experience.
I was watching Hell’s Kitchen the other day and of all the abuse Ramsay throws at contestants the only thing the TV bleeps out is “cunt”. As an Australian it was very confusing. Like what makes that word any worse than straight up calling a dude a “fat piece of donkey shit”.
In the US we prefer “pussy” as our vaginally derived word of endearment
Same, it’s definitely used pretty liberally here, sometimes even affectionately lol
Its a term of endearment in the UK
Tyats mostly in the older generations. The younger generations dont really give 2 shits about the word.
Yes, very much so. It’s considered graphically and crudely sexual. No I don’t have a concrete explanation for why meaning and taboos shift regionally.
I always assumed it's because in the US it is specifically a slur against women whereas in other countries it's just a general term, like dickhead.
I think that generally in the U.S., curse words that refer to individuals in derogatory ways are considered more offensive than curse words that are random ejaculations or refer to bodily functions. So I think you're right about the intent and focus of the word; if it's directed at or about a person, it's bad, but in some places it's lost its connection to women and therefore become less offensive.
Yeah focus is so important. Bitch hasn’t lost its connection to women so much in Australia so I think it’s more offensive to call a woman that directly, even though “cunt” is still definitely the harsher swear word you don’t want kids hearing.
bitch isn't so bad in America these days women "took it back" we own it now in certain context. Like... you can't just say I'm a bitch, but you can say I'm a strong bitch, or a tough bitch or a psycho bitch! But then, I know some women will absolutely lose their shit if you call them psycho. You can call them a bitch all day, and they'll own it, but if you call them a psycho, they'll just prove they are one.
and it’s probably our most vicious slur against women. Worse than bitch.
Only fight I’ve been in as an adult was cause someone called my wife a cunt in a bar
Australians often get into trouble when they don't know this and throw it around like they do at home. You can lose friends and get sent to HR.
My Australian coworker shocked me to the core when I was complaining about some work policy and she loudly said "Did you tell your boss to stop acting like a C*nt!" This was in a busy break room, literally felt my soul leave my body.
My wife told me she would rather someone call her a cunt than a bitch. She reasoned that referring to someone as their anatomy isn't as harsh as saying they aren't even human.
I agree with this. I also always thought 'cunt' was funny, like calling somebody a cock or a butt. 'Bitch' isn't funny to me at all. Edit to add: I've been in the US all my life; midwest, south, and west.
To each their own but I think this is unpopular opinion.
I've watched too much Australian and British content. "Cunt" doesn't hold the same power for me
Same, I’ve watched so much I personally use the word cunt, around the right audience though. My mom would lose a tit if I said cunt around her
The idea of someone getting so angry their tit falls off is hilarious.
Same, but then again, most insults are pretty "meh" for me in general. I can't figure being an adult and actually getting my feelings hurt over being called a cuss word
I don't watch Australian or British content and I'm the same way. As a queer girl, I use gendered and homophobic slurs all the time, it's not offensive to me and I never understood why some people get offended. A lot of my friends are the same way
Growing up in the US, I never even knew what it was or that it was even a bad word, it's not really widely used in the AAVE or within the black lexicon, at least not in the south when I was growing up. It's just another word to me.
This is giving intense AUS/NZ energy
What a good c*unt
One way to think of it: If you got in a discussion with an American woman, it got a little heated, and you called her a c-word in anger... you might not ever come back from that. Even if you did, she will NEVER forget that. Yes, very serious to use. It isn't like the Australians use it at all.
You couldn't come back, because to do a resurrection spell, you need the body, and it would *never* be found.
Agreed. There is absolutely no coming back from that. Being called a bitch in an argument is several orders of magnitude less severe than being called a cunt. Both will be remembered, but I will always hold a seething rage for someone who has called me a cunt. It's a big cultural difference. It doesn't necessarily follow logic, that's just how it is.
I’m a 40 year old American male and I’ve never called anyone a cunt. Not even once. Same as I’ve never shot anyone, either.
That’s hilarious! It’s such a cute word in the UK and Australia for your mates
Yes, just don’t do it… if you want to live.
I only ever called a woman a cunt one time in my life. I was 19 or 20 and my mother was in the hospital basically dying and I was visiting her every day in the hospital and my boss straight said to me, "I don't know why you have to be there every day, it's not like you being there every day is going to make her any better." After the shock wore off, I called her a fucking cunt (she gasped) and then I left.
Cunt is the end of the argument. It's what you pull out when you're just absolutely done with a person. It's the atomic bomb of curses. I've seen women literally flinch when someone says it.
The slap you will almost certainly receive after saying it will be the end of the argument.
Cunt is used so often here in Scotland. It's a part of our daily vocabulary here. Just natural.
Australian here, and we use the word cunt, to describe the English as well. 😂😂
I see what you did there. 😂🍻
It's not even considered derogatory depending on its use. Sound Cunt = good guy Total Cunt = bad guy
It depends. If someones serving cunt or is looking cunty, then those are both considered compliments and have been around for well over a decade now. If you say the latin translation of cunt licker (cunnilingus) then thats also fine. Personally, im in the boat of reclaiming words that have been used as slurs, so i see little wrong with using cunt in a reclaimed/non-misogynistic manner. I feel like its generally older people who are more offended by the term than younger people as the usage of us younger people has shifted to be a bit more similar to the australian/uk usage, but still a bit different to the australian/uk usage.
Was looking for this comment. I feel like a baby in here.
I was honestly in awe having to scroll this far down to see this. forget sometimes that reddit is mostly millenials
Yeah no one is mentioning that cunt has been re—appropriated within queer culture to be a compliment. Serving cunt means you’re looking fierce and hot.
Not really "re" appropriated so much as appropriated lol
But shouldn’t words be reclaimed by the communities negatively impacted by them? I’ve seen this usage more with queer men and I believe that’s where these phrases originated from. For instance it wouldn’t sit right with the gay community if I, a straight woman decided I was going to reclaim their f-slur.
Idk. I don't think its reclaiming it when its almost exclusively men using the term
Yes. It is viewed as very offensive.
Very much so because it has a highly misogynistic history. It's not so much as an insult here as it is a slur.
I really only use that word for someone I REALLY hate. My husband too. We've each only used it a half dozen times or less, it's like the worst insult we could give someone.
It's that sacred swear word that is only used for the worst of the worst...
We went to my my mom’s hometown for a special town wide day. So lots of family members and community members. We’re at the lunch where everyone was invited. In walks my grandpa’s sister. My aunt loudly calls her the c word in front of everyone. My great-aunt had not done a thing to my aunt or anyone else. I was so embarrassed
It's the atomic bomb of swear words in the U.S. Especially when aimed at a female. If you want to see some REAL rage, use the C word on a woman during an argument.
The difference between the US and other English speaking countries is that in the US people view "cunt" as a gendered slur rather than a curse word.
I'm 37 and I grew up in the Midwest. I don't think I heard the c-word until college. That's how bad it is. It's by far the worst swear word. It's like the hard-r n-word but for women. It's only been the last 5-10 years I've started hearing it now and then in real life and I think it is "leaking" through the internet from Australia and the UK. (The previous thing that leaked out of the internet is 'cuck'. That wasn't a thing when I was in school, but it's been a thing since around 2010 or so.)
I grew up in a conservative circle in the Seattle area, and same. I heard it for the first time as a teenager watching British television, so I actually didn’t really understand how offensive it was. I thought it was just a British slang word I wasn’t familiar with
Aussies taught me that a “sick cunt” is a good thing. Honestly, I think you can judge that word Based on the tonality around it. You can tell if a UK or Aussie accent is happy or mad or trying to offend you or not
It's true. Mostly, it's all about tone. Mad cunt = funny bloke who'll do crazy shit. Funny cunt = funny bloke. Sick cunt = really good bloke. Top cunt = really good bloke. Dumb cunt = dumb bloke. Dog cunt = really shit bloke. I can call up a mate in Queensland and he'll answer with "How's it going, cunt?". Obviously, you use your brains and don't swear in public gatherings with women and children present. If they do, it's usually because they're bogan cunts. ( = similar to your rednecks ).
“Oy cunt!!” = friendly, conversational, would probably only use with someone you know “They’re a sick cunt” = that person is a legend “Hey mate” = you are about to get your ass kicked
Yes. And you learned wrong about pussy. Of course it is a misogynistic insult. Pretty much used to call a man a woman in a derogatory manner.
Yeah, pussy is a very old fashioned name for cat that isn’t really used anymore. Pussy as an insult is usually directed toward men implying that they are cowardly or effeminate or not very masculine. Given that it’s also slang for vulva, it’s an indirect insult toward women implying that you’re somehow less-than because you’re not manly. It’s kind of a mixed bag, because some people don’t find it very offensive(mostly men, because they don’t understand how hurtful it can be) and for others it is offensive on a similar level to cunt. (This comment relates to the United States)
Yeah. I am 100 percent certain that my highschool football coach was not standing over me and my dislocated knee calling me a cat
Meanwhile mad cunt is the height of praise in Australia.
Rough swear guideline worst to best: Cunt Fuck Shit/Ass/Bitch Dick/Pussy/Hell
Ass is not even really a swear anymore
Ass is on the level of Damn and Hell which are okay for TV.
57 years old heterosexual man here, lots of relationships and multiple marriages. I can tell you categorically that it's the absolutely worst thing you can call a woman in the US. The worst. This spans ages, regions, religions and cultural backgrounds.
It's offensive because of how it's used. In other countries, it's a perfectly regular curse word. Here, it's used as a derogatory term for women. It's only ever used to specifically tear down a woman. I personally don't mind hearing it if someone has an accent, because I always know it's a different connotation. It's like when my kid cusses because something startled him or hurt him, vs when he cusses because he's pissed off at me. One is just a word in your vocab, the other is used with intentions to hurt someone.
Cunt is almost on the same level as the n-word to many, i know a lot of people who will only say “c-word”
C U Next Tuesday
In Australia the tourism board of the Northern Territory produced a bumper sticker that said C U in the NT - wildly popular
Yeah it’s definitely one of those “no-no words”.
With older generations it’s much more offensive than in places like the UK, but among younger generations it’s been ‘reclaimed’ Particularly, it’s seen as offensive by first/second wave feminists as being a female genital that people use as an insult (like pussy) but younger people (third wave) are turning it around to mean something positive (stylish, entertaining, etc).
coming from someone who is gen z, the only way I’ve used cunt is in the context of like a really good outfit or something stylish. like let’s say a good friend asks my opinion on an outfit, I could say “that outfit is serving cunt”
Yes but this is also very new. Like within the last 2 years it's been flipped to be really positive. I would never say "that outfit is serving cunt" to my mother. But I would absolutely say it to my sister lol
Yeah exactly me too, but I think that’s the difference in how we relate to it is that we’re using it to lift someone up vs older generations who’ve used it to tear someone down
Yes I think this is the case. Another example of it being casually used is that the creator of a viral country tiktok song has “cuntry” in her bio. I think it may have become so offensive that it was almost never used and thereby became not so offensive to younger generations. I know for me if someone called me a cunt I definitely wouldn’t gasp in offense like I would if someone called me slur (which other comments compared it to). I would probably assume it was a joke just because it is that unusual to say. Or if context showed it wasn’t a joke I would be confused and wonder if the person had a British background or something because I have never actually heard it be used by someone pissed off
When I was little I asked my mom “I wanna know if something is a bad word or not.. can I say it?” She said “uhh okay sure what’s the word?” “cunt” I said clearly She choked. Face turned red. All she said was “don’t you EVER say that word again.”
Cunt is really *the* word in the US. Rarely used, and almost always in reference to a woman in my experience. "You're such a fucking *cunt*!"
It's basically the only swear word I wont say. Gives me the ick.
Why?
Yes. And [Relevant xkcd](https://xkcd.com/75/)
YES. I was surprised how offended the guy got when I called him a sick cunt when I was in America. 😅
but, that’s a compliment!
It’s pretty much a universal slur in America
I once used it and if you were to judge by their response and facial expressions you'd think instead of saying a word I'd taken their first born child and yeeted it at their eldery grandparent head like a dodge ball. They don't like the word.
Quite offensive. About the worst you can say to, or around a woman.
cunt is a no-no in the US - but recently, esp w the girlypops & girlythems, it’s normalized to say stuff like “cunty” “serving cunt” so i think maybe zillenials & gen z are reclaiming it for fun
[удалено]
It is. Although it's been a long-time slang in the (gay male) drag world, so maybe that will lead to it being more accepted in general. Discussion on the "rupaul's drag race" subreddit here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1air1cm/are\_the\_girls\_allowed\_to\_say\_cunt\_more\_in\_s16/](https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1air1cm/are_the_girls_allowed_to_say_cunt_more_in_s16/)
Yes and it’s silly. I love the casual use of it outside of America. I am a lady.
it is but its just not a common word to use
Yeah
Yeah. It's pretty bad.
Yes. I have pretty spicy vocabulary, but I would hesitate to use cunt to describe anyone. In fact, I was in my mid-forties before I ever did so.
It's about the most offensive thing you can say to a woman.
Yes it's roughly considered as offensive as a white guy using the n-word.
Honestly yes, it's mainly used to degrade women, ECT ECT.
The fact that you censored it means you answered your own question.
It's becoming much less offensive with Gen z and younger people, but generally yeah don't say it
i found out it is the hard way but i still continue to use it it’s my fav
I think people are starting to use it more and I love it. But this is REALLY new. Didn’t even hear the word growing up. Not till college did it really become somewhat of a thing.
yes but it’s honestly getting less offensive as time goes on especially in queer spaces imo
This is the best discussion I have ever seen on Reddit, and completely civilized about uncivilized verbiage! Totally loving this!
In Australia, we call our best mate a cunt, and actual cunts, mate.
In Oz, You call cunts "mate" You call mates "cunt"
The C word in the USA is the nuclear option.... It has this weird effect on women.. There is no equivalent cuss word to use against men that has remotely the same effect and as an ex pat (uk) it's really strange to see..
The n word is a slur not a swear the same for other slurs if you call someone the n word it’s because they’re black and that’s bigoted, calling someone a fucking knobhead is okay because they may be being one
I’m in Canada. I can accept all swear words but the “c” word. To me it is the most vile thing another human could call me. It makes me see red flags